The Portuguese national team failed to surprise and was defeated, this Monday, May 10, by the super-favorite Austria in the journey that marked the start of qualification for the Wheelchair Tennis Team World Championship, in Vilamoura.
With center court honors at the opening of the day, coach Joaquim Nunes promoted two debuts for singles matches: Fábio Reis and João Couceiro, called for the first time to represent Portugal, were chosen for the inaugural duels and, despite not having won, they left good indications for the future.
The first meeting between Portugal and Austria smiled on Josef Riegler, world number 36 who beat Fábio Reis by 6-1 and 6-2, and that was followed by the triumph of Nico Langmann (30th place) over João Couceiro , by 6-3 and 6-0. Closing the European face-to-face, the same Langmann returned to the court alongside Martin Legner to overcome Carlos Leitão and Jean Paulo Melo, with 6-0 and 6-0.
At the end of the first day, national coach Joaquim Nunes (who is also the coordinator of the sport) took stock of the tie against Austria.
“This year we have a different qualifying phase, with many more countries and in a format of direct elimination that turns out to be more difficult, since in other years it was possible to compensate, so to speak, for having a team in the group. as strong as that of Austria. But, despite this, it was a good start considering the debuts of Fábio Reis and João Couceiro. The results they did were interesting considering that they didn't have any experience at this level and faced two much more highly rated and rotated players. They were fine. Regarding the pair, Carlos and Jean Paulo felt difficulties against a pair that was very difficult, but also because the wind rose and made everything even more complicated. We had little chance of winning, but they deserved a more composed result», he said.
Regarding the call of the two debutants for the singles matches, Joaquim Nunes explained that the decision was made based on what Fábio Reis and João Couceiro could give to Portugal: «the prize was to be present when they were called up. Aligning in the singles happened because in my opinion they were the two players in the best conditions in the sense that they have more mobility and more aggressive games. It was relatively expected that the Austrian team would call those two players and I thought that Fábio and João were the ones who fit the best».
With the defeat, Portugal was out of the fight for qualification, but can still leave Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy with a remarkable result, which meets the initial objective of «getting a classification in the middle of the European qualification».
Fábio Reis, who is from Santa Maria da Feira, but trains in Vilamoura, made a positive assessment of a first day that promises to be unforgettable.
«Today my dream came true. I lost, but I played a good game and I'm very satisfied with my performance on the field," said the 32-year-old, who recalled the day he heard about the call to the national team: "I was with my two daughters and I called right away my wife. On top of that, playing at home, at the club where I train, has a very special meaning and I was super happy. May our dreams have no limits».
João Couceiro, who trains at the Clube Nacional de Ginástica, in Parede, also highlighted the meaning of the debut with the corners on his chest: «it is a unique moment. Being called up for the national team is something we work for daily and luckily it happened this year. It was about to happen in 2020, but taking into account the situation of the pandemic, it ended up being postponed. It ends up being the reward of three years of very intense work and I am very happy to be able to represent Portugal in the qualification for the World Cup and to have the opportunity to play with some of the best players of today».
The first meeting in Vilamoura was not easy, either because of the level of the opponent, but it will serve as a learning curve for the future.
«The first set was interesting and halfway through I had the chance to make the 4-4, but meanwhile the rain came, which caused an interruption in an important moment of the encounter. Then I went down a bit as a result of an issue in my neck that has been plaguing me for a few days and when we are not 100% focused on our task, our head takes us to paths that harm our game. Unfortunately that's what happened and I ended up not being able to do better, but in any case I'm very proud of my performance and the level at which I played», he said.
After the debut, the home team will have a day of rest before returning to action against the team defeated in the clash between Germany and Kenya, scheduled for 10:00 am on Tuesday. If they win, Portugal will discuss fifth place in the group with one of three teams between Romania, Belarus and Australia.
Also in the men's qualifying, and in the same Group 2 of Portugal, Romania also advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Chile 2-0, while Costa Rica benefited from the absence of Kenya and Belarus overcame Guatemala, 2- 0, to join Germany and Australia, respectively, in the two unplayed quarter-final matches.
In Group 1, the selection of Israel overcame Hungary, by 3-0, to proceed to the semi-finals and is now waiting for Sri Lanka (bye in the first round) or Croatia, who overcame Mexico, with two victories in the two encounters of singulars. In the lower half of the table, Poland overcame Slovakia (2-0) and will face either Tanzania (3-0 against Denmark) or Greece, who were exempted from the opening round.
In the women's qualifying there were three first-round matches, with Mexico (2-1 against Ukraine), Germany (2-0 against Lithuania) and Bulgaria (which did not have to take action, benefiting from Costa Rica's withdrawal) to move forward to join Russia, Kenya, Turkey, France and Brazil in the quarter-finals, which take place on Tuesday.
This Monday, the first meeting of the quad variant was held, a category reserved for athletes with limitations in their upper limbs. Brazil beat Germany, 2-1, and temporarily climbed to the top of Group 2, which also includes Sweden.
Organized by Premier Sports and the Portuguese Tennis Federation at Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy, the tournament decides the last places for the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Finals, in Sardinia (Italy), in October.
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