The debut of Portuguese tennis player Jaime Faria in the main draw of a Masters 1000 tournament ended today in the first round of the Madrid tournament, with Polish player Hubert Hurkacz defeating the number three player in two sets.
The former Estoril Open champion (2024), the 63rd-ranked player in the world defeated the 22-year-old Lisbon qualifier on the Madrid clay by a double 6-3, in one hour and 14 minutes.
The 136th-ranked player in the ATP rankings faced physical problems at the beginning of the first-round match of the Madrid Masters 1000, having been treated after the third game, but recovered and created difficulties for Hurkacz.
Faria had three break points in the seventh game, but the 29-year-old Pole, relying on his powerful serve, saved them to close out the first set 6-3, after breaking the Brazilian’s serve in the fourth game.
More confident and aggressive, the Portuguese player responded well to the former world number six at the start of the second set, even saving three break points, one of them with an ace, before giving up the fifth game.
Watched by his coach Pedro Sousa, as well as Nuno Borges and Henrique Rocha, the two Portuguese players ranked higher than him, Faria saw Hurkacz consolidate his advantage and even extend it.
The Brazilian felt the impact of the break and even saw the Pole close out the match with another service break in the ninth game, right on his first match point.
In the second round of the Madrid Masters 1000, Hubert Hurkacz will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ninth in the ATP rankings.
