Cincinnati (USA) – For the first time in his professional career, Rafael Matos will play a Masters 1000. The double gaucho player will play alongside Spaniard David Vega Hernandez in Cincinnati and will be one of two Brazilians in the competition, joining Bruno Soares of Minas Gerais, partner of Briton Jamie Murray. .

At 26, Rafael Matos is having the best season of his career. He has already won four ATP tournaments this season, three alongside Vega in Marrakech, Mallorca and Bastad. The partnership has always remained with the finalist in Munich. And the gaucho also won the ATP in Santiago, forming a Brazilian duo with Felipe Meligeni. For all this, in addition to other regular results, he is currently ranked 33rd in the doubles specialist rankings.

Matos and Vega’s debut will be against Denmark’s Holger Rune and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who are prioritizing the singles circuit and entered the invitational doubles draw. If they win, they can face the Croatians Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic, 5th seed of the tournament, or the Poles Lukasz Kubot and the Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

Soares and Murray take on the Colombians
In turn, Bruno Soares and Britain’s Jamie Murray will make their debut against another very experienced and well-connected duo. They face Colombians Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal, seeded 8th in Cincinnati. If they win, they can face the Indian Rohan Bopanna and the Dutch Matwe Middelkoop or the Russian Karen Khachanov and the Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

They are in the same quadrant as Cincinnati seeded American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury, who are sure to have a rocky start, whether against Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini or Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.