Luciano Darderi rallied past Jaime Faria in Estoril, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Italian turned the match around after a sluggish start, dominating the decider with two breaks and saving all three break points he faced in the final set.
Faria seized the opener with breaks in games four and eight, converting two of six break chances. Darderi levelled the second set after trailing 3-1, breaking in games nine and eleven to take it 7-5. The decisive set saw Darderi break early at 1-2 and again at 1-4, closing out the match with a four-game run.
Darderi’s second‑serve return proved decisive: he won 58% of those points overall, while Faria managed just 40% on second‑serve return. The Italian also saved eight of 11 break points (72%) compared to Faria’s six of ten (60%), despite hitting fewer aces (3 to 7).