Spanish superstar Nadal loses to brutal Borges in Bastad Open bid

Rafael Nadal returned to an ATP tournament final for the first time since Roland Garros 2022, where he lifted the trophy after crushing Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. He lost at the Bastad Open against Nuno Borges, who had only lost one set against his compatriot Henrique Rocha in the round of 16.

For his part, the Spaniard suffered in the quarterfinals against Mariano Navone and in the semis against Duje Ajdukovic but was expected to win.

As in the previous two matches, Nadal again lost the first set. But this time he was unable to turn it around, falling heavily to a brutal Nuno Borges, who showed no mercy and won 6-3, 6-2 to lift an ATP title for the first time in his career. Now Nadal moves on to the Olympic Games after a successful week in Sweden.

The match began with a hard-fought first game that Borges took with his serve after saving a break point in favor of Nadal. From there, the two players began to exchange breaks, until reaching 4-2 and service for the Portuguese. And then, it was the opposite, both held their serves and the world number 51 took the first set 6-3.

The second set started similarly to the first but with the roles reversed. Rafa saved a break ball, but he took his first service game. Until 2-2, they were pretty evenly matched. But from that moment on, Nadal slowed down and Borges raised the level. Finally, the Portuguese won with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 final.

The Spaniard now faces the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he will play both in singles and doubles paired with the country's current superstar, Carlos Alcaraz. Rafael has already won the gold medal in both disciplines, in Beijing 2008 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 respectively.