VALE DO LOBO/STARNBERG, March 1, 2026

Toby Samuel backed up his semifinal win over Tiago Pereira by capturing the singles title at the Vale do Lobo Open, the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 tournament organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation over the past eight days at the Vale do Lobo Tennis Academy. The event marked the third of four consecutive tournaments of this category taking place in the Algarve.

In an all-British final between friends and training partners, Samuel, ranked world No. 246 and seeded second, lived up to his billing with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over sixth seed Giles Hussey. The win secured the 10th title of his career and his first of the 2026 season.

Although the final was decided in 96 minutes, it appeared to be heading toward a decider when Hussey — the marathon man of the week — surged to a 4-1 lead in the second set. Training partners in Bath and coached by the same mentor, the two knew each other’s games inside out. Hussey struggled on serve in the opening set, but once he found his rhythm, he began targeting Samuel’s backhand with greater confidence, a tactic that paid off early in the second.

However, Samuel — who did not drop a set all week — proved physically fresher and raised his level at the crucial moments, turning the match around with increasingly aggressive tennis.

Toby Samuel claims the title in Vale do Lobo with a 6-3, 6-4 win against his good friend Giles Hussey from 1-4 down in the second set. Another big step towards Roland-Garros! pic.twitter.com/2IqlEBLl8f

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) March 1, 2026

“I’m very happy. Today was a battle. We know each other very well, so he obviously knew what to do and tried to attack my backhand all the time. I was prepared, but it was difficult to win this match and I’m very happy to leave here with the title,” Samuel said after lifting his first trophy on Portuguese soil.

A graduate in Sport Management from South Carolina Athletics, the Winchester native turned professional in the summer of 2024. His progress was briefly derailed by a serious injury — a stress fracture and nerve inflammation in his right arm — which kept him sidelined until April 2025. What followed was a breakthrough stretch: he won three of five ITF World Tennis Tour finals and closed the season by claiming two ATP Challenger 50 titles in Egypt and Bahrain, breaking into the Top 300 for the first time.

His triumph in Vale do Lobo is expected to move him close to the Top 230 in the world rankings, although the update will be delayed due to the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells. Either way, a new career-high ranking is guaranteed — and with it, a step closer to his main goal for the early part of the season: qualifying for Roland Garros.

“I don’t know how close I’ll be, but I know this title greatly increases my chances of playing in Paris for the first time. That was my big goal and I’m thrilled to be getting closer to achieving it, especially because I had some doubts during the week due to blisters. I had one on my hand and two on my feet that made things difficult, but I managed to push through and I couldn’t be happier,” the new Vale do Lobo Open champion concluded.

The tournament marked the third consecutive week of international tennis in the Algarve. From Vale do Lobo, the ITF circuit now moves on to Faro, while the traditional stops in Quinta do Lago and Loulé will take place later in the calendar.