Nuno Borges Advances in Auckland ATP 250 Ahead of Australian Open

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Portuguese tennis star Nuno Borges secured a hard-fought victory in his opening match at the ATP 250 Auckland Open, defeating Italy’s Luciano Darderi 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 on Monday. The tournament serves as a key warm-up event for the Australian Open, which begins later this month.

Borges, the seventh seed and world No. 36, overcame a challenging first set to rally back and claim the win in three sets. The match lasted over two hours, showcasing Borges’ resilience and tactical prowess. He now awaits his next opponent, Argentine Mariano Navone, who advanced after a grueling three-set victory over French lucky loser Adrian Mannarino.

Navone, ranked 46th in the world, triumphed 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-1 in a match that lasted more than three hours. Despite Mannarino’s strong performance, Navone’s intensity in the third set proved decisive. This marks only Navone’s fourth career ATP win on hard courts, setting up an intriguing clash with Borges.

In other matches, American Alex Michelsen, the tournament’s eighth seed, also advanced with a three-set victory over India’s Sumit Nagal. Michelsen, ranked 41st globally, recovered from a first-set tiebreak loss to win 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2. He will face either Canadian Gabriel Diallo or Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.

The tournament has seen several high-profile withdrawals, including American Ben Shelton due to a back injury. French players Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Lucas Pouille, as well as Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, also pulled out citing fatigue and injuries. Lucky losers Adrian Mannarino and Daniel Altmaier, along with Argentines Facundo Diaz Acosta and Francisco Comesana, filled the vacant spots.

The Auckland Open continues to draw attention as players fine-tune their preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on January 14 in Melbourne. Borges, who reached the third round of last year’s Australian Open, will look to build momentum as he aims for a deep run in the season’s first Grand Slam.