PORTO/STARNBERG, August 29, 2025
Frederico Ferreira Silva extended his run at the CT Porto Cup on Friday, booking his first ATP Challenger semifinal of the 2025 season. The clay-court event, staged at the historic Clube de Tenis do Porto, is in its second edition under the organization of the Portuguese Tennis Federation.
World No. 255 Ferreira Silva overcame Spanish qualifier David Jorda Sanchis 7-5, 6-4 in a grueling two-hour, nine-minute contest that was briefly interrupted by rain. Despite conditions that appeared to favor Jorda Sanchis, it was the 30-year-old Portuguese who adapted better and sealed a spot in the last four.
Primeira meia-final Challenger do ano para Frederico Silva! Muito merecida e muito celebrada.
Vitória por 7-5 e 6-4 contra o qualifier David Jorda Sanches para marcar encontro com o segundo cabeça de série Guy Den Ouden. pic.twitter.com/LorXrIhA5V
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) August 29, 2025
“I’m really happy with the match and with today’s win,” Ferreira Silva said afterwards. “It’s a milestone for me this year, my first Challenger semifinal in a while, and that obviously makes me proud. But more than that, I’m satisfied with the way I’ve been competing in these matches.”
Ferreira Silva highlighted mental strength as a key factor in his progress: “The conditions were tough. At one point it rained heavily, and the court became a bit muddy. Sometimes while serving, I even got water in my face, which was distracting. I had to make adjustments and look for solutions to make sure the big points went my way. I was prepared for a very physical match, with long rallies, and that’s why I managed to hold on in the second set.”
On Saturday, Ferreira Silva will face second seed Guy den Ouden for a place in the final. The World No. 161 from the Netherlands battled past Poland’s Daniel Michalski 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to keep alive his hopes of adding another Challenger trophy to the one he captured last season in Dobrich, where he also defeated Ferreira Silva in the opening round.
Earlier in the day, Alejandro Moro Canas and Gilles-Arnaud Bailly were in action. Moro Canas reached his third ATP Challenger semifinal on Porto soil by edging fellow Spaniard Nicolas Sanchez Izquierdo 7-6(6), 6-4. The Spaniard, a finalist in Tenerife earlier this year, is chasing his second final of the season.
Bailly, just 19, advanced to his first Challenger semifinal after outlasting Spain’s Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. A former junior World No. 1 and finalist at Roland Garros and the US Open in 2022, the Belgian has already secured a place inside the Top 300 thanks to his breakout run in Porto.
