Dream Monday for Portugal

Gastão Elias and wildcard Frederico Silva gave the home crowd something to cheer about by booking their spot in the second round of Millennium Estoril Open.

In a sold out venue local favorite Gastão Elias fought past Tunisian Malek Jaziri 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.

The Portuguese number two and 106.º ATP, enjoyed strong support from the stands and survived a shaky start to move to the second round of Millennium Estoril Open for the first time.

“I started a little bit nervous but I played consistently during the entire match. I scarcely lost focus and I deserved to win because I played better than him in the crucial points. I was more aggressive and I believe that made the diference”, said Elias in the post-match press conference.

Next up for Elias is defending champion Nicolas Almagro or Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Taking cue from his compatriot and Davis Cup teammate Frederico Silva trumped Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-2 in the last singles match of the day. It was the first win for the 22-year-old Portuguese in the main draw of an ATP event and the first triumph over a Top 60 player.

“We are always nervous in first round matches. Specially in a court such as this one. I felt good and could control my emotions and stay focused throughout the entire match.”, said the 426.ºATP player.

Silva will now face a clay court maestro, none other than David Ferrer. The Spanish veteran comes to Estoril as the fourth seed and will be the biggest challenge of Silva, thus far in his career.