Nuno Borges achieves one of the greatest achievements in the history of Portuguese tennis

A victory for history. On Sunday, July 21, after winning the Bastad Open final against Rafael Nadal, Nuno Borges killed two birds with one stone. First, because it was his first ATP title, Which comes just months after he reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open. (The second Portuguese to achieve this feat.) And because his opponent was none other than one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport. It is certainly a case of Nadal in the twilight of his career, struggling to return to the courts after several physical problems, but the prestige of this victory is very real.

Nuno Borges had no trouble getting rid of the Spaniard in this final that lasted just 1 hour and 27 hours, winning 6-3, 6-2. Before that, the 51st ranked player in the ATP rankings, had been ahead of Andrea Pellegrino (16th), his compatriot Henrique Rocha (8th), Timofey Skatov (quarterfinalist) and Thiago Agustin Tirante (semifinalist). This Tuesday, the 27-year-old Portuguese will return to competition when he faces Daniel Elahi Galan in the round of 16 of the Kitzbühel Open. He will also be present during the Olympic Games in Paris..