ATP roundup: Nuno Borges jolts Rafael Nadal in Nordea Open final
League: Tennis 
Posted on: 21 Jul, 2024 at 11:31 PM
Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
Seventh-seeded Nuno Borges captured his first ATP Tour title by posting a 6-3, 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal on Sunday at the clay-court Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, was making his first appearance in a final since winning the French Open in June 2022. Borges, of Portugal, broke the 38-year-old Spaniard five times, however, and won the match in 88 minutes. Nadal hit just five winners against 19 unforced errors.
"I don't know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already," Borges, 27, said in his post-match interview. "It's crazy, in tennis it doesn't happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today."
Borges will rise nine spots to a career-high No. 42 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
EFG Swiss Open Gstaad
Sixth-seeded Matteo Berrettini of Italy claimed his ninth ATP Tour title following a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over French qualifier Quentin Halys in the final in Switzerland.
Berrettini, now a two-time winner of the tournament, held a 5-3 lead in the first set before play was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain. Undaunted, he won seven of the next eight games to dispatch Halys in 59 minutes.
Berrettini won 90 percent of his first-serve points to return to the winner's circle at the event for the first time since 2018.
Hamburg Open
No. 5 seed Arthur Fils of France endured a three-hour, 33-minute match to defeat top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1) victory in the final in Germany.
Fils was out-aced 8-0 but saved a remarkable 21 of 22 break points. He finished with 41 winners to Zverev's 23.
After his first ATP title came last year in Lyon in his native France, Fils notched his second by beating Zverev in front of a Germany crowd. It was Fils' first win in three head-to-head matches with Zverev.
Infosys Hall of Fame Open
No. 2 seed Marcos Giron saved championship point and completed a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5 comeback victory over No. 3 seed Alex Michelsen in an all-American final in Newport, R.I.
The 30-year-old Giron earned his first ATP title in dramatic fashion. Faced with championship point down 4-5, 30-40 in the third set, Giron fired one of his 13 aces to force deuce and keep the match alive.
Giron finished the day having saved 8 of 9 break points, while for his part, Michelsen saved 10 of 13 in the two-hour, 37-minute match. Giron fired 41 winners and had 12 unforced errors, while Michelsen posted 30 winners and 30 unforced errors.
--Field Level Media
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, was making his first appearance in a final since winning the French Open in June 2022. Borges, of Portugal, broke the 38-year-old Spaniard five times, however, and won the match in 88 minutes. Nadal hit just five winners against 19 unforced errors.
"I don't know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already," Borges, 27, said in his post-match interview. "It's crazy, in tennis it doesn't happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today."
Borges will rise nine spots to a career-high No. 42 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
EFG Swiss Open Gstaad
Sixth-seeded Matteo Berrettini of Italy claimed his ninth ATP Tour title following a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over French qualifier Quentin Halys in the final in Switzerland.
Berrettini, now a two-time winner of the tournament, held a 5-3 lead in the first set before play was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain. Undaunted, he won seven of the next eight games to dispatch Halys in 59 minutes.
Berrettini won 90 percent of his first-serve points to return to the winner's circle at the event for the first time since 2018.
Hamburg Open
No. 5 seed Arthur Fils of France endured a three-hour, 33-minute match to defeat top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1) victory in the final in Germany.
Fils was out-aced 8-0 but saved a remarkable 21 of 22 break points. He finished with 41 winners to Zverev's 23.
After his first ATP title came last year in Lyon in his native France, Fils notched his second by beating Zverev in front of a Germany crowd. It was Fils' first win in three head-to-head matches with Zverev.
Infosys Hall of Fame Open
No. 2 seed Marcos Giron saved championship point and completed a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5 comeback victory over No. 3 seed Alex Michelsen in an all-American final in Newport, R.I.
The 30-year-old Giron earned his first ATP title in dramatic fashion. Faced with championship point down 4-5, 30-40 in the third set, Giron fired one of his 13 aces to force deuce and keep the match alive.
Giron finished the day having saved 8 of 9 break points, while for his part, Michelsen saved 10 of 13 in the two-hour, 37-minute match. Giron fired 41 winners and had 12 unforced errors, while Michelsen posted 30 winners and 30 unforced errors.
--Field Level Media
