Nuno Borges faces pressure and expectations in his sixth participation at the Estoril Open.

Nuno Borges is preparing to return to the Estoril Open with more pressure and expectations than ever. The Maia-born tennis player, ranked number one in Portugal and 52nd in the world rankings, will compete in the Portuguese ATP 250 tournament for the sixth time, this time with the clear goal of surpassing the quarter-finals he reached in the last two editions.

The Estoril Open takes place at the Estoril Tennis Club and features a strong Portuguese presence. In addition to Nuno Borges, the main draw includes five other national players: Jaime Faria, Henrique Rocha, Frederico Silva, Tiago Pereira, and Tiago Torres. This 11th edition of the tournament marks the event's return to the ATP circuit, after being part of the Challenger Tour calendar in 2025. The tournament kicks off with the qualifying round, where João Domingues, Francisco Rocha, Gonçalo Castro, and João Dinis Silva will also participate.

Borges returns to Portugal after a solid performance at the ATP 250 in Bastad, Sweden, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Italian Luciano Darderi, ranked 18th in the ATP. The player feels he was in good form on clay and highlights the differences between the playing conditions in Bastad and Estoril. “I had good matches here. I adapted well to the clay, even though it was for a short time, but I felt that the conditions here are very peculiar, very different from Estoril. The truth is I love playing in Bastad; I play incredibly well in these conditions, and I don’t know if things will flow as smoothly in Estoril, especially because it’s a place that means a lot to me. I will be under more pressure and expectations. I will try to protect myself from that and play well,” the tennis player stated in comments to the Lusa news agency.

In the Portuguese tournament, Nuno Borges is once again partnering in doubles with Francisco Cabral, his friend and compatriot, with whom he won the title in 2022. “Francisco still doesn’t have a fixed partner, which left an opening for us to play here for a week. I had already said that I would only play if it was with him. My priority is singles, but with him things change a bit, it has a special flavor. He is a great friend, we were very happy in 2022 and it is a great pleasure to compete again in Estoril, and who knows, we will aim for a very good result. He is playing very well, I hope he wins in Bastad and comes back with a lot of confidence to carry me in doubles,” Borges explained.

Among the main favorites of the Estoril Open is the Russian Andrey Rublev, ranked 16th in the world, and the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, former champion of the tournament in 2013 and holder of three Grand Slam titles, who is competing in his farewell to the ATP Tour. The event runs until July 26 and promises strong emotions for Portuguese fans, with a strengthened national lineup and top players in attendance.

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