Kudos to Nuno Borges for making his dreams come to life! The seventh seed from Portugal has set a showdown date with the Spanish bull Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Bastad Open. Borges clinched a spot in the event’s summit clash after downing Thiago Agustín Tirante in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Following his semifinal victory, the Portuguese expressed his elation, acknowledging his upcoming clash with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. For the uninitiated, Borges will lock horns with the former World No. 1 for the first time in his career on Sunday, July 21.

While talking to the reporters in a post-match presser, the 27-year-old addressed his “emotional” semifinal victory over Tirante. The Portuguese highlighted that he took advantage of his opponent’s physical exhaustion – notably assisting him to “stick to his plan.” Moreover, the No. 7 seed also lauded the Swedish crowd for their support which encouraged him to battle through his struggles. “Very emotional. I knew he was tired so I needed to stick to my plan. Great crowd, great atmosphere. They helped me battle through my demons.”

Later, Borges also voiced his excitement about going up against Nadal. The World No. 51 stated that his Swedish Open final against the Spaniard is something for which he has waited for a long time. “Just sharing the court with Nadal, specially in a final, is a dream came true. I will try to enjoy as much as possible and still try to be competitive and win.”

Although Borges will go all out against the King of Clay, does he stand a chance to win the final? He might be able to triumph if he takes the lead from the get-go, but he will have to be on the lookout for Rafa’s survival mode. “He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back. It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that,” Nadal spoke after his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Duje Ajduković.

Keeping any momentum he acquires in his favor will work wonders for the Portuguese player. However, the challenge will be tougher than usual as Nadal will be marking his maiden ATP final appearance in two years at the Nordea Open. The Spaniard reserved a few words to address his comeback after seemingly overcoming multiple injury concerns.

“Things aren’t going easy” Rafael Nadal ahead of his Nordea Open final with Nuno Borges

Nadal executed a nerve-racking showdown in Bastad on Friday during his semifinal clash against Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic. The Spaniard went a breakdown before eventually turning the match on its head and sweating the Croat five times within the second set and the third set to register his victory, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Later, in an on-court interview, the former World No. 1 talked about recovering and reclaiming all ‘things’ he had ‘lost’ during the period. Notably, the Spaniard had been battling injury concerns for over 2 years and later underwent hip surgery that hampered his performance on the Tour. “Still in this process of recovering a lot of things I lost because I had a very important hip surgery almost 1 year ago.. so things aren’t going that easy. But I’m fighting. I fought the whole tournament to be where I am today.”

It is worth noting that Nadal will play a Tour-level final for the first time since his 2022 French Open glory. His most recent triumph at the Swedish event was witnessed in 2005 when Borges was merely 5-years-old. What are your thoughts on the duo’s upcoming clash? Do let us know in the comments.