SAO PAULO/STARNBERG, September 14, 2025
Brazil’s No. 1 and World No. 23 Luisa Stefani continues to rewrite the history of Brazilian women’s tennis. On Saturday night, the 28-year-old from Sao Paulo captured the doubles title at the SP Open – a WTA 250 event held at Parque Villa-Lobos – alongside Hungary’s Timea Babos. The pair defeated fellow Brazilians Ingrid Martins and Laura Pigossi 4–6, 6–3, 10–4 on Centre Court.
It is the first time since 1986 that a Brazilian woman has won a WTA 250 on home soil. For Stefani it was the 12th title of her career from 20 doubles finals. She also owns the historic Olympic bronze medal with Pigossi from Tokyo 2021 and became, together with Rafael Matos, the first all-Brazilian team to win a Grand Slam when they lifted the Australian Open mixed doubles crown in 2023. Earlier this year she and Britain’s Joe Salisbury finished runners-up in mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
Tímea Babos and Luisa Stefani reign supreme
They went the distance in a hard fought final against Martins and Pigossi, winning 4-6, 6-3, 10-4! pic.twitter.com/qdTcj3KQ8e
— wta (@WTA) September 13, 2025
An emotional Stefani paid tribute to her opponents and the Brazilian tennis community during the trophy ceremony:
“I’m feeling so much right now. There will be more tears, but that’s part of it. Laura and Ingrid are two of the best friends tennis has given me. Sport brings you the best friendships life can offer. It’s very hard to be on the other side of the net after everything we’ve been through together. This week is much more than a title – it’s a huge step for the future of Brazilian tennis. I’m super happy to be part of this story.”
Stefani thanked her team, Babos, sponsors and the tournament organisers, calling it “a very special moment.”
This season she and Babos have already claimed three titles – Sao Paulo, plus the WTA 500 events in Linz and Strasbourg – and currently sit eighth in the Race to the WTA Finals. Their next events will be the WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing (from 24 September) and Wuhan (from 6 October), as they push for a place among the top eight teams at the year-ending championship in Saudi Arabia.
Stefani’s résumé already includes wins at the WTA 125 in Montevideo and the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara (2022), as well as WTA 500 titles in Berlin, Abu Dhabi and Adelaide (2023). She opened the 2024 season by winning the WTA 1000 in Doha with Demi Schuurs and has also reached the quarterfinals at both the Australian and US Opens this year.
A lifelong sports fan, Stefani started playing tennis at age ten in Sao Paulo and moved to the United States in 2011 to combine studies and tennis, eventually reaching No. 10 in the junior world rankings. She honed her game in the U.S. collegiate system at Pepperdine University before turning professional in 2019, when she won her first WTA title in Tashkent. Since then, she has steadily climbed the rankings, peaking at No. 9, and has become one of the leading doubles players on the tour.
