The Portuguese João Sousa and the Austrian Dominic Thiem were eliminated this Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open tennis tournament in pairs, after losing to the Ecuadorian Gonzalo Escobar and the Frenchman Fabien Reboul.
Against the third seed of the Portuguese tournament, specialists in pairs, Sousa and Thiem lost 6-3 and 6-2, in 59 minutes.
They continue in pairs Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges, champions in 2022, who will face the Dutchman Robin Haase and the Austrian Philipp Oswald on Friday, with Thiem qualified for the quarterfinals in singles.
At the end of the match, João Sousa said that he was leaving the tournament “happy with the level shown” in singles and doubles.
“Obviously, anything other than winning is never positive. Regardless of that, both in singles and doubles, I reached a very good level. It is the positive lesson that I take from this tournament. tournament and, as you say, get to the weekend, not being possible, as I say, [estou] happy with the level shown”, defended the best Portuguese tennis player in history.
Singles champion at Clube de Ténis do Estoril in 2018, the 34-year-old Guimarães recalled that “this tournament is always very special” for him and that it is a privilege to play it.
“One more time, [quero] I would also like to thank the organization for giving me the opportunity, both in singles and doubles, to have competed in the main frame and [estou] very happy with the affection of the people. Once again, regardless of the result, they were supporting us until the last point and that is to be appreciated and that is why we play tennis, it is to feel that affection and that support”, he highlighted, after losing in the quarterfinals of colleagues.
“The analysis is easy: I think that today they were a better pair than us. We were surprised by the level at which they performed today, both in the net and in the serve and the response. I think that in all the chapters they were better than us and for “That’s their victory. The truth is that we couldn’t do much, at least as a team we couldn’t find the antidote to win the game and I think that’s all to their credit, because they really played a very good game,” he praised.
Together with the only Portuguese singles champion of the only Portuguese ATP tournament, Thiem corroborated Sousa’s words.
“They played very well. I feel like we weren’t able to use our strengths in singles, because we got some responses, which would have been nice in singles, but they were very good at net. It’s tough. In tag teams, we can’t respond defensively. They were better, they played well.”
Unlike the Portuguese, who was eliminated in the second round of singles by the Norwegian Casper Ruud, the first seed, the former world number three and US Open champion is still in action, scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals with the winner. of the meeting between the Spanish Roberto Bautista Agut and the French Quentin Halys, last of the day today.
Source: TSF
