Almeirim, García Calahorro takes his first career title on the CUPRA FIP Tour. Home victory for Santos-Nogueira

ALMEIRIM – There are some tournaments in a player’s career that hold a special significance. Born in 2008, Ale García Calahorro (on the right in the photo) claimed the first CUPRA FIP Tour title of his career. The young talent, alongside Iago Fuertes, won the FIP Bronze Almeirim, in Portugal, defeating the home pairing of Pedro Graça-Pedro Araujo 7-5 6-2 in the final. The champions had also overcome a Portuguese pairing, Antonio Luque-Diogo Jesus, in the semi-finals. NextGen talent Fuertes, 16 years-old, had already won two titles on the circuit in his career: the FIP Bronze events in Kolding and A Coruña.

In the women’s draw, Portuguese players Clarinha Santos and Ana Catarina Nogueira were crowned champions in front of their home crowd. “Champions in Almeirim! – said Nogueira -. I’m really happy with this title. It is always special to play in Portugal and feel everyone’s support and affection. Through the ups and downs, we managed to fight and compete well throughout the tournament.” For the winners, victory came in a different way from what they had hoped for: their opponents Lorena Vano y Carmen Castillon retired when they were 4-1 down in the first set due to severe gastroenteritis suffered by Vano. Nogueira sent a message directly to her: “What a shame that you were unable to play the final. Get well soon!”.