The clay court season spans the months of April, May, June, and July, usually proceeding to the Miami Open. Formally kicking off this segment of the 2023 season, we have the historic Estoril Open set in Portugal. With a raised prize money pool and even a Top 5 player in attendance, the tournament will be a fitting opener. To learn more about the first clay court tennis competition of the season Estoril Open 2023, keep on reading.
Millennium Estoril Open Tennis Tournament
The Estoril Open, also known as the Millennium Estoril Open for sponsorship reasons, is an annual outdoor clay court tournament set in the tourist hub of Portugal, Cascais. As a Tour-sanctioned event, the tournament is part of the ATP 250 series. It is one of the few tournaments on the Tour still played on clay courts and the tournament holds an important historical slot in Portugal, as it is the only ATP tournament played in the country. This year will mark the 8th edition of the event and the 3rd since it was canceled in 2020 due to the global pandemic. The Estoril Open will be played at the Clube de Ténis do Estoril. The title sponsor for the event is Millennium bcp, a branch of the biggest private back in Portugal, the Portuguese Commercial Bank, based in Porto.
| Location | Cascais, Portugal |
| Venue | Clube de Ténis do Estoril |
| Tour category | ATP 250 |
| Prize Money | €562,815 |
| Draw | 28 S, 16 D |
Estoril Open 2023 Results
The Norwegian Casper Ruud, 5th in the world ranking, was proclaimed champion of the Estoril Open after beating the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (40th) in two sets in the final 6-2,7-6. He now have won 10 ATP tour title and all of them are ATP 250 tour level in which 9 of them on clay court including Geneva (2), Buenos Aires (2) and Swiss Open Gstaad (2).
In doubles championship, The Belgians Joran Vliegen and his compatriot Sander Gille who conquered the atptour 250 of Estoril Open, winning the second title of the year and the seventh title in his career.
Estoril Open History and Previous Winners
History
The Estoril Open is the successor of the historic Portugal Open. The tournament was established purely to fill the gap of a Portuguese ATP tournament on the Tour. Thus, when the Portugal Open was abolished in 2014, the Estoril Open was created the following year. The original name of the Portugal Open was also Estoril Open and it was one of the longest-running tournaments on the Tour, having first been established in 1990.
Today, the tournament is one of the first clay court events on the Tour and it was created by former Dutch tennis player Benno Van Veggel and Portuguese football agent Jorge Mendes. Like most other ATP events, the Estoril Open was also hit in 2020 when the pandemic caused the cancellation of tournaments. It however, returned the following year.
Estoril Open Winners
Given that the Estoril Open is still a newer addition to the ATP Tour, the selection of past players and winners is quite small. This however doesn’t mean that the selection of world-class players is limited. Many former Top 10 players have played at Estoril, including David Goffin, Gael Monfils, Fabio Fognini, Steganos Tsitsipas, Pablo Carrena Busta, Marin Cilic, and many more. This year alone, Casper Ruud became the highest-ranked player to participate in the Estoril Open.
| Year | Singles Champion | Doubles Champions |
| 2023 | Casper Ruud | Joran Vliegen / Sander Gille |
| 2022 | Sebastian Baez | Francisco Cabral / Nuno Borges |
| 2021 | Albert Ramos Vinolas | Tim Putz / Hugo Nys |
| 2020 | Setanos Tsitsipas | Fabrice Martin / Jeremy Chardy |
| 2019 | Joao Sousa | Cameron Norrie / Kyle Edmund |
| 2018 | Pablo Carreno Busta | Michael Venus / Ryan Harrison |
Estoril Open 2023 Prize Money and Points
A total financial commitment of €630,705 was made for the 2023 edition, of which, €562,815 has been designated as the prize money. This is a substantial increase compared to last year as in 2022, the total prize money was €481,270. A breakdown of the prize money has been given below.
| Stage | Singles Prize Money | Doubles Prize Money | ATP Points |
| Winner | €85,605 | €29,740 | 250 |
| Finals | €49,940 | €15,910 | 150 |
| Semi-finals | €29,355 | €9,330 | 90 |
| Quarter-Finals | €17,010 | €5,220 | 45 |
| 2nd Round | €9,880 | —— | 20 |
| 1st Round | €6,035 | €3,070 | 0 |
Keep in mind the prize fund and prize money distribution may be subject to change.
Estoril Open Draw
The Estoril Open will have 28 singles and 16 doubles draws that will be released as the tournament progresses.
Estoril Open 2023 Dates
The Estoril main draw will be held across a week from 3-9 April with a qualifying round set for the weekend prior; the 1st and 2nd of April.
Estoril Open 2023 Schedule
The schedule for the event is as follows:
| Date | Singles Matches | Doubles Matches |
| 3rd April | Round 1 | —- |
| 4th April | Round 1 | Round 1 |
| 5th April | Round 2 | Round 1 |
| 6th April | Round 2 | Round 1 |
| 7th April | Quarter Final | Quarter Final |
| 8th April | Semi Final | Semi Final |
| 9th April | Finale | Finale |
Keep in mind this schedule may be subject to change.
Estoril Open 2023 Players List
The Estoril Open is shaping up to be one of the best editions yet. Many talents from around the world will be coming to Cascais and leading the singles competition, we have Norway’s best and the current world no. 4 Casper Ruud. The youngster distinguished himself last year with 2 Grand Slam runner-ups, a Masters runner-up, and even a runner-up placement in the Tour Finals. Besides him, the participating player’s list includes many of the Top 100 players.
Another reason the competition will be very competitive is that 4 former titlists, including the reigning champion, will be returning to Cascais. Sebastian Baez, who won the title last year, Albert Ramos Vinolas, who won the title in 2021, Joao Sousa, the 2018 titlist, and lastly, Pablo Carreno Busta, the 2017 champion will all be in attendance. Other honorable mentions are former no. 3 and 3-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, Fabio Fognini, and Diego Schwartzman. The full participating player list is given below:
Estoril Open 2023 Singles Top Seeds
| Seed | Player | ATP Ranking |
| 1 | Casper Ruud | 4 |
| 2 | Pablo Carreno Busta | 17 |
| 3 | Sebastian Korda | 26 |
| 4 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 28 |
| 5 | Miomir Kecmanovic | 31 |
| 6 | Sebastian Baez | 35 |
| 7 | Diego Schwartzman | 38 |
| 8 | Bernabe Zapata Miralles | 42 |
Remaining Players
| Player | ATP Ranking |
| Albert Ramos-Vinolas | 50 |
| Mikael Ymer | 57 |
| Emil Ruusuvuori | 59 |
| Constant Lestienne | 62 |
| Gregoire Barrere | 65 |
| Pedro Cachin | 66 |
| Dusan Lajovic | 71 |
| Nuno Borges | 80 |
| Quentin Halys | 81 |
| Fabio Fognini | 88 |
| Marco Cecchinato | 91 |
Estoril Open Singles Wild Card Entries
Estoril Open 2023 Tickets Buy Online
A standard ticket applies for one day/night session and only 3 days are split into 2 sessions; the 5th, the 6th, and the 7th. Packs for the days with 2 sessions are available that apply for the whole day, meaning both sessions.
A final package is also available for the last 2 days of the event that covers the semi-finals and finals. Box seats and premium seating arrangements are other ticket options. Entry for children below 6 is free and the tickets start at €10.To learn more about the tickets and categories, click the link below.