Portimao: from Diestro to Javi Ruiz, many stars in Portugal

First the win in France, then the one in Portugal. José Diestro is now chasing his third title in a month on the CUPRA FIP Tour, after his victories at the FIP Silver Côte du Midi and the FIP Silver Mimosa Open in Porto, both with Juanlu Esbrí. This time, the No. 28 in the FIP ranking will team up with Teo Zapata again on Portuguese soil, for the FIP Silver in Portimao. The two Spaniards lead the 32-pair men’s draw – while the women will also be in Portimao for the FIP Bronze taking place over the weekend – ahead of Antonio Fernandez and José Jiménez (No. 2 seeds), with Jiménez having just played the final in Porto.

Plenty of contenders are chasing the top two seeds: after winning in Italy in June and in Greece in July, Javi Ruiz is back on court with Facundo Dominguez (3). Keep an eye as well on Marco Cassetta, who has now reached 13 titles on the circuit – the most of any player on the CUPRA FIP Tour. He’s partnering with Enzo Jensen as the No. 5 seeds. In the top half of the draw, look out for Andrés Fernández Lancha and Javi Martínez (No. 4), with the latter coming off a win at the FIP Silver in Lelystad at the end of July, and the young duo Curro Cabeza/Juan Zamora (No. 6). The first two rounds of the main draw will be played on Friday, quarterfinals on Saturday, and both semis and the final on Sunday.