BRASILIA/STARNBERG, March 8, 2026
The final of the Brasilia Tennis Open, an ATP Challenger 75 tournament played on the clay courts of the Iate Clube de Brasilia, is set. Portugal’s Henrique Rocha and Paraguay’s Adolfo Vallejo secured their spots in Sunday’s championship match, which will begin at 11 a.m. local time and be broadcast on CazéTV. The tournament offers a total prize purse of $107,000.
In front of a large crowd on the center court on Saturday, Rocha defeated Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro in three sets, 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-3. The Portuguese player delivered an impressive performance to book his place in the final.
Pure grit
Henrique Rocha powers past home favourite Monteiro 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-3 to book his spot in the Brasilia final#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/I2wnjCSIgG
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) March 7, 2026
“I played a very good first set. Thiago is a very tough opponent,” Rocha said. “I started very well and although the score was 6-0, the level wasn’t that different. In the second set he raised his level and we had a real battle. I managed to stay consistent throughout the match and I’m very happy with the win.”
With his run to the final, Rocha is set to reach the best ranking of his career, moving close to the Top 140.
“I didn’t know that,” he said about the ranking milestone. “I’m very happy with the new ranking, but that’s a consequence of the level I’m playing. Tomorrow I still have a final to play.”
Monteiro took positives from his week despite the defeat.
“It was a strange match but also balanced,” the Brazilian said. “The first set was 6-0 but the games were close. I had chances in almost every service game. In the second set I started better and the match changed. In the third set I fell behind early and he loosened up. He’s a very solid player and deserved the win.”
In the other semifinal, top seed Adolfo Vallejo, ranked No. 104 in the world, defeated Brazil’s Eduardo Ribeiro 7-5, 6-2 in a match interrupted for nearly two hours due to heavy rain in Brasilia. With the victory, Vallejo is set to break into the Top 100 for the first time in his career.
The Paraguayan is now chasing his third Challenger title of the season and the sixth of his career.
“It was a semifinal with a lot of nerves,” Vallejo said. “I served for the first set at 6-4 but he broke me. The game at 5-5 was very difficult and I had a bit of luck. After the rain delay I came back much better in the second set. I’m feeling rested and ready for the final.”
The final in Brasilia will be Vallejo’s fourth consecutive Challenger final in Brazil.
“I think it’s a coincidence,” he said. “Here and in Curitiba the altitude helps a bit, but Costa do Sauipe is much slower. My level has been very high and that’s why I’m getting these results.”
Rocha also previewed Sunday’s championship match.
“I played Vallejo last week in Santiago. He’s a player my age and I know him quite well,” he said. “I’m not as familiar with Eduardo in singles, but from my side I’ll be ready.”
Despite the loss, Eduardo Ribeiro leaves the tournament with confidence. The Brazilian came through qualifying and is expected to climb nearly 90 spots in the ATP rankings, moving close to the Top 350.
“I take a lot of confidence from this week,” Ribeiro said. “It shows that I’m on the right path. There’s still a lot of work ahead, but it proves we can compete at this level. Now it’s about continuing the process and believing that these matches can go our way.”
Portuguese Pair Capture Doubles Title
Portugal also celebrated success in the doubles event. Henrique Rocha and Jaime Faria defeated Brazil’s Marcelo Zormann and Argentina’s Mariano Kestelboim, the second seeds, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday night to claim the doubles title.
