OEIRAS/STARNBERG, May 15, 2025
Cristian Garin proved too strong for Portugal’s Gastao Elias on Thursday, eliminating the local favorite in the quarterfinals of the fifth and final Oeiras Open of the season, an ATP Challenger Tour 100 event held at the Jamor Tennis Complex.
A day after a hard-fought win over Henrique Rocha, Elias was unable to repeat the feat against the Chilean, falling 6-3, 7-6(4) to the former World No. 17 and five-time ATP Tour champion. Despite currently being ranked World No. 153 and entering the tournament unseeded, Garin came to Oeiras as the most accomplished player in the draw — and he delivered accordingly.
Elias, once ranked as high as No. 57 and a three-time champion in Oeiras, had his chances but was unable to capitalize. The Portuguese veteran converted just two of nine break point opportunities, and after leading 5-2 in the second set, he let the advantage slip away.
Mais um chileno… Cristian Garín recupera de 2-5 no segundo set e derrota Gastão Elias por 6-3 e 7-6(4) para chegar às meias-finais do Oeiras Open. Procura a segunda final em Portugal, oito anos depois de ter sido vice-campeão no CIF. pic.twitter.com/OKScDkA3mn
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) May 15, 2025
“The truth is, if you asked me what the fair result today would’ve been, I’d say 6-3, 7-6 for me,” Elias said after the match. “It’s strange to say, but it’s true — and one of the few times I feel that way.” The 33-year-old was visibly frustrated by missed chances. “He’s coming off a title, he’s confident, and everything seems to go his way. For me, things tend to fall apart just when I’m about to win. It all added up today.”
Still, Elias sees positives in his recent form: “There’s no doubt I’m playing my best tennis in a long time — possibly years. I feel confident, and even in the matches I lost, I felt I was the better player. But I can’t live off moral victories. I need to find a way to cross the finish line and not spend the year saying how well I played. That’s the frustrating part, but I also need to stay grounded and recognize I’m in a good place.”
It was only the second time in nine Challenger-level quarterfinals held in Oeiras that Elias failed to reach the semifinals — with Carlos Alcaraz being the only other player to beat him at this stage, back in 2021.
Elias now heads to Mataro, near Barcelona, for an ITF World Tennis Tour event before returning to Challenger-level competition in Italy. Garin, meanwhile, continues his resurgence by reaching his third career semifinal in Portugal. He’s riding an eight-match winning streak, having recently claimed his first title since 2021 at the Upper Austrian Open in Mauthausen, Austria.
In the semifinals, Garin will face Roman Andres Burruchaga of Argentina, ranked No. 135. Burruchaga, son of 1986 World Cup champion Jorge Burruchaga, outlasted Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, setting up a rematch with Garín, who defeated him in a Challenger semifinal two weeks ago.
The other semifinal will pit US-American Mitchell Krueger against Lebanon’s Hady Habib. Krueger has enjoyed a strong run in Oeiras, including a first-round upset over top seed Thiago Monteiro, followed by a composed win over China’s Yibing Wu. Habib, meanwhile, cruised past Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina 6-1, 6-3 in Thursday’s most lopsided match, saving all six break points he faced late in the contest.
The singles semifinals are set for Friday, starting at 1 p.m. local time on the Court Central. First up will be Krueger vs. Habib, followed by Garin vs. Burruchaga.
