When Titouan Droguet and Kyrian Jacquet teamed up at the Millennium Estoril Open, few expected the pairing even to make the draw. It had been 4 years since they last lifted a trophy together at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger, and a daunting final stood between them yesterday. Yet, against the odds, the unexpected duo produced a dream finish, with the French duo sealing a remarkable championship triumph in Portugal.

Droguet and Jacquet claimed their first doubles title at the Millennium Estoril Open when the pair defeated second seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 11-9 in a gripping final.

It was the first time the two Frenchmen had played together on the ATP Tour, and despite their inexperience as a team at ATP Tour level matches, they made an immediate impact.

And to be honest, their road to the title was far from easy. Earlier in the ATP 250 event, they stunned top seeds Luke Johnson and Jan Zielinski to book a place in the final.

Even the final match turned into a tense battle from start to finish. Both opponents pushed each other throughout the contest, making every point count. Yet, the 25-year-old French duo showed remarkable composure under pressure as they saved all 6 break points they faced during the match.

Droguet and Jacquet looked set to finish the match earlier after building a 9-6 lead in the match tie-break. However, they let 3 championship points slip before finally converting their fourth match point at the very end.

The current ATP world No. 114 entered the tournament with solid doubles experience. Droguet is already a 3-time ATP Challenger doubles champion; on the other hand, world No. 134 Jacquet arrived in Estoril with a 0-4 record in ATP Tour-level doubles.

Their final opponents, Brazilians Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, were chasing their fourth ATP Tour title together but fell just short in Estoril.

And while Droguet and Jacquet made history with their doubles triumph, it was Luca Van Assche who grabbed the headlines in the singles event. 

Luca Van Assche wins the Estoril Open by defeating Alexander Blockx

In the singles match at Estádio Millennium, it was another French professional, Luca Van Assche, who stole the spotlight. Competing in his first ATP Tour final, Van Assche delivered when it mattered most.

The 22-year-old defeated Alexander Blockx 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a thrilling contest that lasted 2 hours and 24 minutes before the Frenchman finally sealed the match.

The result also gave him a massive rankings boost as the world No. 78 climbed 30 places to No. 48 in the ATP Live Rankings and is set to reach a new career-high ranking next Monday.

His Belgian opponent had already grabbed attention a day earlier. After smashing his racket in frustration while playing against Luciano Darderi, he later handed it to fans, a gesture that quickly went viral.

And after the championship match, Van Assche reflected on the achievement, especially his improvement in the ATP rankings. 

“I have a good team to work with very well. Not just for the big moments but also for the whole year. The key was to enjoy myself, to play matches, to be focused on my game and not only on the result. I did great to come back into the Top 100, and I want to continue that way,” he added.

Now, as the ATP Tour shifts toward the North American hard-court swing, fans will be eager to see where Luca Van Assche goes next after this breakthrough week in Portugal.