A last minute decision for me, the Portugal Open was pretty nice! I arrived in Lisbon on the last Saturday and decided to go to the Men's Doubles and Singles Finals the following day. For €45, it was definitely reasonably priced for a final.
On the day I went, Scott Lipsky/Santiago Gonzalez beat David Marrero/Pablo Cuevas to win the doubles title and Carlos Berlocq made quite a come back to defeat Thomas Berdych for the singles title.
A combined ATP and WTA event, the Portugal Open attracts a lot of players outside the top 10 to warm up for Madrid and Rome and they have a lot to offer the fans for being a smaller tournament. There were a lot of food stands and little shops, as well as a Corona Bar and Lounge, which is popular on the ATP tour.
The courts are located in a residential area, are part of a large sports complex, and there are soccer fields and hiking/walking trails all around. The grounds are lovely too; the main stadium has views of the surrounding hills and the second main stadium is sunken into the ground, with a Roman colliseum-type feel. I thought the whole place had a great atmosphere.
The stadium is in Oeiras, a suburb of Lisbon, and I had to take the train out there. From the door of my hotel to the tennis center it took 1 1/2 hours to get to the grounds. It was not difficult, but also not easy considering the fact that you can drive there in about 25 minutes.
Overall, I thought the tournament was a great experience and in an enjoyable part of Portugal.
Singles Final:
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