Thomas Enqvist (pictured) defeated Thomas Muster 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Vale de Lobo Grand Champions Senior Tour spectacular to extend his lead at the top of the South African Airways rankings to 500 points.
The Swedish Davis Cup captain had previously overcome Algarve title holder Greg Rusedski, who eventually finished fourth after losing out 7-6, 7-6 to Goran Ivanisevic, 6-7, 6-3, 15-13 in an epic last group encouter to reach the Friday night decider.
The 10th anniversary edition of the popular summer highlight enjoyed a great number of spectators including prominent Portuguese lawyer Dias Ferreira, television presenter Sofia Fernandes and former international player Sofia Prazeres.
The event also attracted worldwide TV coverage, lifting the region’s global image significantly.
In the meantime, a possible future star of the tournament, Faro-born Rui Machado, suffered a second round Trani Challenger loss to Holland’s Jesse Huta-Galung in Italy and looks destined for US Open qualifying, while Britain’s Andy Murray beat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to claim Canadian Open glory.
