Lucky loser Nuno Borges reaches Paris Masters last 16
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Portuguese tennis player Nuno Borges, ranked No. 49, beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Paris Masters round of 16.
He entered as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying, so the run is a turnaround.
Background
Nuno Borges is a Portuguese tennis player ranked No. 49, competing at the Rolex Paris Masters, an ATP tournament in Paris. He only got into the main draw as a lucky loser — a player who loses in qualifying but is admitted when a spot opens — after falling to Alex Molcan in the final round of qualifying. He got that spot when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (back) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (right shoulder) withdrew. In the first round he beat 17-year-old French wildcard Moise Kouame, who was bidding to become the youngest match winner in Paris Masters history.
How it unfolded
- Jan 19, 2026At the Australian Open, No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada retired from his first-round match with Borges leading 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
- Oct 1, 2026Novak Djokovic beat Borges 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) at the China Open in Beijing, his first win since Wimbledon and a 30th straight win at the event.
- Oct 28, 2026Borges beat Casper Ruud 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Swiss Indoors Basel round of 16.
- Oct 30, 2026Jan-Lennard Struff beat Borges 6-2, 6-3 in the Basel quarter-final.
- Nov 1, 2026Alex Molcan beat Borges 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the Paris Masters qualifying final, leaving Borges needing a lucky-loser spot.
- Nov 3, 2026Admitted as a lucky loser after withdrawals by Davidovich Fokina and Tsitsipas, Borges beat 17-year-old wildcard Moise Kouame 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour 4 minutes.
- Nov 4, 2026Borges beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 in the third round and was scheduled to face Peru's Ignacio Buse in the round of 16.
Key terms
- qualifying
- A preliminary round or series of matches that determines which players advance to the main tournament.
- wildcard
- An invitation to a tournament given to a player who did not qualify through normal ranking or entry.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Opponent
- Kouame said Borges was "simply better" and played "at a very impressive level," adding his own level wasn't enough to trouble him.
- Opponent
- Djokovic, after their China Open match, credited his own serving and a strong tie-break for closing out the win over Borges.