Current Portuguese tennis champion Rui Machado continued his comeback from injury by reaching the quarter-finals of the Cancun Challenger in Mexico last week.
The Algarvean world No115 dismissed compatriot Pedro Sousa and Spaniard Guillermo Ola with ease before falling 6-1, 5-7, 2-6 to Austria’s Andreas Haider-Maurer in a tournament won by Nicolas Massu.
Meanwhile Britain’s Andy Murray made a promising start to the season-ending Masters in London with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Juan Martin del Potro.
Both main title rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also secured opening three-set wins but Rafael Nadal was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by French Open hero Robin Soderling.
Sunday’s final will establish who will finish 2009 as the official world No1.
