The Portuguese youngster surged through 11 of the final 13 games against former Top-20 player Nikoloz Basilashvili to seal a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory at the ATP 250 event played on clay. Torres, who graduated from the University of Texas San Antonio last year after four seasons of college tennis, was making his tour-level debut.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was an incredible four years in America, and I\u2019m not going to lie, it\u2019s even better right now,\u201d said Torres, who is competing at a career-high No. 427 in the ATP Rankings. \u201cThis year I\u2019ve been working a lot. I\u2019ve been playing super well, but I never imagined I could play like this in a stadium like this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019m so emotional right now. I don\u2019t know what to say, to be honest. I always fight. That\u2019s the best thing I have in my tennis. I always believe I can win even if I\u2019m playing guys like him [Basilashvili] who are so much better than me on paper,\u201d he was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour website.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Trailing 1-4 in the opening set, Torres quickly found his rhythm and never relinquished control, feeding off the energy of the home fans on the Portuguese Riviera to seal a 70-minute victory. The 24-year-old won 74 per cent (17\/23) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to book a second-round clash with third seed Alejandro Tabilo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Torres is one of six Portuguese players in the men's singles draw in Estoril this year, the highest home representation in the tournament's history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Trailing 1-4 in the opening set, Torres quickly found his rhythm and never relinquished control, feeding off the energy of the home fans on the Portuguese Riviera to seal a 70-minute victory. The 24-year-old won 74 per cent (17\/23) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to book a second-round clash with third seed Alejandro Tabilo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Estoril Open has returned to the ATP Tour calendar for 2026 after being held as a Challenger in 2025. The clay-court tournament at the Clube de T\u00e9nis do Estoril debuted as an ATP 250 in 2015. In partnership with the Municipality of Cascais, the tournament will see fans enjoy greater proximity to the players and the action on court.<\/p>\r\n\r\n