Rui Machado
Rui Machado ( born April 10, 1984 in Faro) is a Portuguese tennis player.
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Life and career
Career and first year as a professional
Rui Machado began at the age of six years from tennis after he had brought from a USA holiday a tennis racket his parents. In 1998 he was runner-up in the Portuguese Junior Championship, which he won three years later. After his graduation he could have studied economics at the University, but opted for a career as a professional tennis player. In the early years he played exclusively on Satellite and Futures tournaments. After he had given in July 2003 against South Africa, his debut for the Portuguese Davis Cup team, Machado was the first time achieve a Futures final in August 2003.
2005-2006: ATP debut and injury worries
In 2005 he qualified for the first time for Challenger tournaments, and twice reached the quarter-finals. In addition, he received in April 2005 for the ATP Tournament Estoril a wildcard, lost in his ATP debut against Agustin Calleri, however. This year he was able for the first time win matches in the Davis Cup, and managed with Portugal the rise in the Europe / Africa Group I. Finally, in November 2005, he won his first Futures title and finished the year ranked 259 of the world tennis rankings. In the spring of 2006, Rui Machado had to have surgery on the wrist and knee. Then he could for almost a year no more tournaments to play, and thus fell out of the ATP rankings.
2007-2008: Comeback and Grand Slam debut
In 2007, João Cunha e Silva, a former professional tennis player who won two ATP doubles title in the 90s, Machado's new coach. And with him followed in the spring of 2008, the comeback: Between February 2008 and May 2008, Machado won six Futures tournaments, and improved during this period from rank 726 to rank 332 in the world rankings. He also won in April 2008 in Estoril, where he received a wildcard as three years ago, his first ATP match against Ivo Karlović, which gave up after Machado had won the first set. Later in the year he played then propagated Challenger tournaments, and reached it twice a semi-final. After he was eliminated at Wimbledon in the first qualifying round to Rui Machado was at the U.S. Open, among other things by beating the Olympic champion of 2004, Nicolas Massú, first qualify for a Grand Slam tournament. There he defeated in the first round in three sets Rik De Voest, and met in the second round to the set at position 13 Fernando Verdasco. The first four sets were extremely scarce, in the decisive fifth set, however, Machado left the forces and he lost it with 0:6. However, he first rose then in the top 200 in the world rankings, and was able to improve by the end of up to rank 153.
2009-2011: Challenger tournament victories and entry into the Top 100
In February 2009, Rui Machado could in Costa do Sauipe qualify for the main draw, and defeated in the first round with Iván Navarro first time a top 100 player. In the second round he lost in a tight three- set match against Eduardo Schwank. Two weeks later, Machado won his first Challenger title in Meknes by defeating David Marrero. In April 2009, followed in Athens against Daniel Munoz - De La Nava of the second Challenger final victory. After he had retired at Estoril in the first round against Óscar Hernández, Rui Machado himself could qualify for the second time for a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open. In the first round he won in five sets over Kristof Vliegen was then, however, to eventual semi-finalist Fernando González chance. In the Davis Cup match against Algeria in July 2009 Rui Machado was able to achieve a "triple bagel " against Valentin Rahmine: He won the match 6:0, 6:0, 6:0. Another highlight of this year were the U.S. Open, where Machado Although in the third qualifying round lost to Dieter Kindl man, but then as a lucky loser nachrückte into the main draw. There, however, he lost in the first round against Daniel Köllerer.
After he had failed at the Australian Open 2010 in the second qualifying round to Rui Machado was at the ATP tournament in Costa do Sauipe like already qualify for the main draw in the previous year. And again he reached through a victory over Marcos Daniel the second round where he lost to Igor Andreev. In February 2010, he reached in Meknes for the second time the finals, but could not defend against Alexander Dolgopolov his title. In April 2010, Machado won in Naples Federico del Bonis against his third Challenger title, and then reached to Rank 102 his best ever ranking in the world rankings. However, he was already in the following week back, because he could not defend the points of the Athens - title from the previous year. In Estoril Machado reached after beating Nicolás Massú and Michal Przysiezny first time an ATP quarter-final, but he lost in three sets against his compatriot Frederico Gil. At the French Open Machado missed this year just like at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open qualifications. For this he was able to win against local favorite Ramon Delgado his fourth Challenger title in October 2010 in Asunción. After he had reached a week later at the Challenger tournament in Santiago de Chile the semi-finals, Rui Machado was first performed in the top 100 in the world rankings.
The year 2011 began for Rui Machado with a first round defeat at the ATP tournament in Chennai. Even with his Australian Open debut, he retired in the first round in four sets against Santiago Giraldo from. In February 2011, he won the first round of the ATP tournament in Santiago de Chile clear about Felipe Ríos, but lost in three sets to the set at position 3 Thomaz Bellucci titleholder. A week later he reached in Costa do Sauipe for the second time an ATP quarter-final, but where he retired against the set at position 1 eventual champions Nicolás Almagro. In March 2011, Rui Machado won his fifth Challenger title in Marrakech by a three-set victory over Maxime Teixeira. In the following weeks Erstrundenniederlagen followed at the ATP tournaments in Casablanca, Barcelona, Estoril and at the French Open. It was not until the beginning of June 2011 took Rui Machado back on track back when he won his second season title with a victory over Grega Zemlja in the Challenger tournament in Rijeka. In July 2011, Machado won against Switzerland against the Third World Ranking Roger Federer the first set in the Davis Cup match but eventually lost the match in four sets, and was thus not prevent the 0-5 defeat of Portugal. Two weeks later, Machado won in Poznan his third Challenger title this year when he prevailed in the final against local hero Jerzy Janowicz. At the U.S. Open Rui Machado difference in the first round in straight three sets to Robin Haase. In doubles, he reached together with Franco Ferreiro the second round. In September 2011, Machado won the Challenger tournament in Szczecin first in the semi-final against top-seeded Albert Montanes and then sat down by the final against Eric Prodon, which he secured his fourth title this season.
Special
After Nuno Marques Frederico Gil and Rui Machado was only the third Portuguese who made it into the top 100 in the world tennis rankings.
His surname is sometimes mistakenly written Machado, Rui Machado but has no Scottish ancestors.