Nuno Borges is the current Portuguese No. 1, and as such, the Estoril Open is one of the most important events on his calendar, being his one chance to show his stuff to his home crowd. His first-round encounter was always bound to be rather tricky, facing a former Grand Slam semifinalist and world No. 10 Lucas Pouille.
Borges Survives in Estoril Opener
The Frenchman has been struggling for quite a while, but his talent is still there and makes him a dangerous opponent. He showed that in the first set, bagelling Borges and then proceeding to go 2-0 up in the second set. Perhaps benefitting from the rain interruptions, Borges managed to put himself back together and just barely eke out the second set in the tiebreak after saving a match point. The third set was tightly contested as well, but Borges’s level rose while Pouille’s dropped. The Portuguese No. 1 ended up advancing to the second round with a 0-6 7-6 6-3 victory.
After the match, Borges admitted that he was extremely nervous in this tournament debut, saying he didn’t feel great out there and that his victory was more about heart than tennis.
More to go for Borges
Given the level he has reached, especially after his incredible Australian Open campaign, Borges has legitimate ambitions to win this tournament at some point in his career. In the end, though, despite being bagelled, Borges managed to find a way to make it to the second round, where he will face an even tougher test in the No. 3 seed and claycourt specialist Lorenzo Musetti.
It will be an extremely tough match for Borges, who is definitely the underdog on this surface. If he does manage to find a way past Musetti, though, Borges will feel extremely confident and be a serious threat for the title. He will have to play much better than he did today, but if he manages to reproduce the level he showed in Australia, he most certainly has a chance to achieve his dream in front of his home crowd.
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports
