Jaime Faria reaches Wimbledon second round for first time

Portugal will have two players in the second round of Wimbledon after Jaime Faria claimed the first main draw victory of his career at the All England Club today (June 30).

The 22-year-old, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw, defeated Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro in four sets, winning 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 in two hours and 50 minutes.

Ranked 98th in the world, Faria relied on a consistently strong first serve for much of the match against the world number 90, recovering well after losing the third-set tie-break to seal victory in the fourth.

The result continues an impressive run for the young Portuguese, who has now won a main draw match at all three Grand Slam tournaments he has entered through qualifying this year. At Roland Garros, he went on to reach the third round.

Faria will now face either France’s Ugo Humbert (30th) or Belgium’s Zizou Bergs (37th) for a place in the third round. While both represent a tough test, the Portuguese youngster will take confidence from his recent performances on the biggest stages.

Portugal’s other participant, Nuno Borges, also progressed to the second round after beating American Tristan Boyer on Monday. Borges now faces an even sterner challenge against defending Wimbledon champion and world number one Jannik Sinner on Wednesday.

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.