"Holy crap": Nuno Borges makes history for Portugal in Australian Open upset of Dimitrov

Welcome to the second week of a Grand Slam event, Nuno Borges!

And believe it, history-maker.

On Saturday, Borges lit up Kia Arena in an electrifying display to hand No. 13 seed Grigor Dimitrov his first defeat of the season. With his 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory, the 26-year-old became the first player from Portugal to reach the fourth round of either singles draw in Australian Open history.

“I still can’t believe it. What a match. I never expected to be here. Second week of the Australian Open, who would have thought?” reflected Borges in his on-court interview with Adam Peacock.

Though he dropped the first set, Borges was the stronger server of the two in not getting broken until early in the fourth set. Dimitrov finally broke through on his 11th break point and fourth of the second game, eventually building a 5-2 lead.

Borges however, refused to buckle. His compact backhand, forehand up the line and strong read of the court kept him in the hunt in getting back on serve.

Playing out a second tie-break, Borges this time opened a 4-1 lead by pegging the Bulgarian on his back foot during an intense series of exchanges. Dimitrov dug in to win the next three points before slicing a backhand into the net, igniting a tense finish.

Borges double-faulted at 5-4, then was outfoxed by the former semifinalist in a thrilling point that saw both players cover all corners of the court until Dimitrov closed at the net and let out a roar. With a set point on his racquet, all of his hard work was immediately subdued by a double fault. Two backhand unforced errors, one deep and one into the net, saw the Brisbane International champion see his Australian summer swing come to a crushing end.

“Maybe in the third set, when I got a break, I was like, ‘holy crap? Maybe I can actually win this.’ It wasn’t from the start,” said Borges. “It’s like people say, take one set at a time, one game at a time. I kept pushing through, testing my limits, testing his.

“I know a tennis match anything can happen and today was just a true example of that.”

Gracious in defeat, Dimitrov crossed over to Borges’ side of the court to congratulate the world No. 69 on an outstanding performance, one that marked his first win over a Top 20 player.

A native of Maia, the right-hander is another success story from the college pathway. Borges emerged as a superstar at Mississippi State, winning ITA National Player of the Year in 2019 on his way to a runner-up finish in the NCAA singles tournament to go with his third consecutive SEC Player of the Year distinction. Not long before Borges walked off a winner, former TCU standout Cameron Norrie made his way into the fourth round by powering past Casper Ruud.

Now projected to crack the Top 50, Borges next aims for his first Top 10, Top 5 and Top 3 wins when he faces No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev. Pull out that achievement, and Borges will also become the first Portuguese singles quarterfinalist in Grand Slam history. Countryman Joao Sousa previously advanced to the round of 16 on two occasions (2018 US Open and 2019 Wimbledon).

Medvedev, a two-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, confidently dispatched 27^th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, less than 48 hours after finishing off a comeback from two sets down over Emil Ruusuvuori at 3:39 a.m.