Impressive Carlos Alcaraz battles past Nuno Borges to reach Australian Open second week

Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2025 Australian Open after defeating a spirited Nuno Borges in four sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. The Portuguese player managed to take the first set off the Spaniard in the tournament.

Alcaraz entered the third round in Melbourne as a serving machine, showing he had spent significant time honing his serve in training. The Spaniard hadn't dropped a set in the previous rounds, and against Nishioka, he didn't even face a single break point.

Nuno Borges came into the match against Carlitos with confidence, though neither he nor the Murcian had faced particularly challenging opponents yet. This match marked the first real test for both players.

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In the first set, Alcaraz picked up right where he left off, pressuring Borges' serve and dominating with his own. With a 55% first-serve accuracy, the Spaniard won 67% of points on his first serve and an impressive 80% on his second.

With such strong numbers, it’s unsurprising that Alcaraz didn’t face a single break point, cruising through the first set 6-2 in just 15 minutes. The second set followed a similar pattern, with the World No. 3 maintaining a high level on serve. Although Borges tried to fight back, he couldn’t find a way to trouble Alcaraz, who closed the set 6-4.

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The third set saw Borges raise his game, especially on serve, pushing the set to a tiebreak. The Portuguese even had a set point at 6-5 after his third break point of the match but failed to capitalise. Borges played closer to the lines and upped his level significantly, forcing errors from Alcaraz, who struggled to adjust. Borges ultimately claimed the tiebreak 7-3.

After a dip in form at the end of the third set, Alcaraz bounced back strongly in the fourth. Determined to avoid further complications, he raced to a 3-0 lead. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Spaniard, who closed out the match 6-2.

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