Never discount a man in form.

Despite the fact he has slipped down the rankings since his quarter-final appearance at last year's Bermuda Open, Andre Sa's current performances suggest he may well be up there again this time around.

The 23-year-old from Belo Horizonte has just picked up his first tournament win of the year -- lifting the title at last week's Challenger event in Calabasas, California.

He reached the final without dropping a set and his victory over American Michael Russell saw him reach 117 in the ATP Champions Race rankings. He is currently 116th according to the ATP's official website.

Prior to that he had reached the semi-finals in Sao Paulo in his homeland and was knocked out of the Australian Open by Christophe Rochus in his second match.

He has also played in Hawaii, Bogota in Columbia, Dallas, Memphis and San Jose.

"I have been playing alright this year. I dropped a little in my ranking but last week I won a Challenger in America and I'm feeling pretty good, pretty confident for this week and hopefully I can do well,'' said Sa after coming off the practice courts at Coral Beach yesterday.

Last year was his first visit to the Island and immediately bitten by the Bermuda bug, Sa was keen to come back and see if he could advance a little further this time around.

"I would say it's higher (profile) than most of the Challengers because every year there is such good competition,'' he said of the event.

"You always have great names playing and it's just so good, the atmosphere and everything.'' After making his way through the early rounds in 2000, he eventually fell to Michal Tabara in the quarters and while hoping to improve on that placing, Sa said he was not setting himself any major targets.

"I have to go easy in each game because the competition is very tough, there's a lot of good players. I just have play one match at a time,'' he said.

"I just hope to come here and win a couple of matches and get some confidence and solidify my game a little more. I'll be happy if I win the tournament, but I just hope to come here and play well.'' At 6ft 1in, Sa is not among the tallest of players and his strategy is not concentrated on a massive serve.

"I use my groundstrokes around the court a lot, I try to come in (to the net) sometimes but not all the time,'' he said. "To be playing well I have to be hitting all my groundstrokes well.'' This is Sa's fourth year as a professional and he has made more than $400,000 in prize money in that time -- but earning all that cash has its drawbacks.

"You have to really enjoy the travelling,'' he said. "I think the toughest part of the tour is to be away from home all the time and have to catch a plane every week -- it's tough sometimes.

"I have one brother, mother and father. I miss them very much every week, but it's our lifestyle.'' One to watch: Brazilian Andre Sa is back and looking to go further than last year when he reached the quarter-finals of the XL Capital Bermuda Open.