Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos win the Montreal Masters 1000 Title
The Brazilian partnership of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos secured, on August 13, 2026, their fourth and most significant joint title. In the exciting final of the Masters 1000 in Montreal, Canada, the duo from Rio Grande do Sul overcame the experienced Marcelo Arevalo, from El Salvador, and Mate Pavic, from Croatia, with a score of 2 sets to 1 (5/7, 6/4 and 10/6). This victory marks a historic feat: it is the first time that a 100% Brazilian duo has won a tournament of this scale.
On the same topic: Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz beat Argentines and reach the final of the Masters 1000 in Montreal
The feat breaks a national fast, as Brazil has not reached a Masters 1000 decision since 2024, when Marcelo Melo was runner-up in Monte Carlo, on clay. The last Brazilian trophy in an event of this size was in 2019, with Bruno Soares in Shanghai, China. Interestingly, Soares’ partner in that victory was Mate Pavic, who this time was on the other side of the court in the defeat.
The successful trajectory of Luz, 28 years old and 40th in the world, and Matos, 30 years old and 39th in the doubles ranking, began in 2024, with the victory on clay in Bastad, Sweden. In the current season, the duo had already lifted trophies in Buenos Aires and Santiago, also on clay courts. In addition to the four titles alongside Luz, Rafael Matos boasts an impressive ten other doubles cups on his resume.
See Also
Epic Games Store offers free science fiction and exploration game for PC
Call of Duty: Season 5 Reloaded comes to Black Ops 7 and Warzone; see what changes
Sony announces full list of PlayStation Plus games for August 2026
More on this story: Even with a drop in the ATP rankings, João Fonseca remains among the 30 best in the world
Their opponents, Arevalo and Pavic, are former leaders of the world rankings and have eight titles together, highlighting their victory at Roland Garros in 2024 and four other Masters 1000s. This season, the pair had recently triumphed at the ATP 500 Queen’s Club, in London, played on grass.
The script for the unprecedented victory of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos
In the tournament’s decision, the first break of service was in favor of the Brazilians in the seventh game of the opening set, when the score was 3/3. However, Matos, when serving next, committed a double fault, resulting in the back break. Four games later, despite saving two set points on another serve from Matos, the rivals prevailed and closed the partial.
Learn more: Beatriz Haddad Maia consolidates her rise in the world Top 10 and restores glory to Brazilian women’s tennis
In the second set, the Brazilian tennis players secured a break right from the beginning and managed to manage the advantage until the end of the period. The super tie-break started with Matos and Luz opening a good margin, with splits of 3/0, 5/1 and 7/2. Training at ADK Tennis, in Itajaí, the Gauchos reached 8/4, but their opponents dropped to 8/6. Luz then hit a powerful first serve, forcing a mistake from his rivals. In the next point, taking advantage of the first match-point, Luz finished with a winner, guaranteeing the most important title of their careers to date.
