Rafael Nadal’s remarkable journey at the Bastad Open concluded in an anticlimactic fashion when he was defeated 6-3, 6-2 in the final by Nuno Borges on Sunday, July 21. Nuno Borges triumphed over the tennis elite to claim his first ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Nordea Open.
Seeded seventh, the 27-year-old Portuguese player smoothly defeated Rafael Nadal with a score of 6-3, 6-2, securing the trophy at the clay-court ATP 250 event.
Borges exhibited a formidable performance against the 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, breaking the Spaniard’s serve five times on his way to victory in his debut tour-level final.
Borges was the steadier player in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Nadal, who was unable to elevate his game as he had in his three-set victories over Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic earlier in the week. The 27-year-old Borges displayed no nerves as he served out the win against the former world No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Nadal, consistent with his performance in Bastad, found it challenging to hold his serve. Borges was exceptionally effective against Nadal’s second serve.
Borges’ 88-minute victory ensures his ascent by nine places to a career-best No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday. He becomes the ninth player to win his first title on the ATP Tour in the 2024 season.
Despite losing the final, Nadal can look back on a successful week in Bastad, where he made it to his first tour-level final since the 2022 Roland Garros. The 38-year-old Spaniard, with a record of 11-6 for the year, will focus on preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Looking ahead, Nadal’s focus will shift to the Olympics, where he is slated to join forces with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles competition.
