Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Nuno Borges Beats Casper Ruud, Becomes First Portuguese Man To Beat a Top 10 Player at Grand Slam

Unseeded Borges stuns clay-court powerhouse Ruud to make Portuguese tennis history.

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Casper Ruud, the world No. 8 and two-time Roland Garros finalist, was stunned in the second round of the 2025 French Open by unseeded Portuguese Nuno Borges. In the historic event, ranked No. 41 in the world, Borges battled back from a set down to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

In doing so, Borges became the first Portuguese man to upset a top-10 player at a Grand Slam and the first to ever reach the third round in the French Open. The loss also marks Ruud’s earliest exit in Paris since 2018.

🚨 Nuno Borges defeats the double finalist in four sets. 🚨#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0cIx9MdQT1
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2025

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Ruud Injured Mid-Match as Borges Wins

The match took a dramatic turn in the third set when Ruud began showing signs of a left leg injury. Though he took a medical timeout, the Norwegian chose to fight on, playing through visible discomfort. Top marks for his sportsmanship but it clearly limited his mobility.

Ruud had started strong, playing with trademark intensity. His pre-tournament stats, being 143 aces and a 72% first-serve win rate, carried over as he dominated the first set. But the injury disrupted his rhythm and opened the door for Borges, who seized the moment.

Though Ruud has built a formidable clay-court record, with 12 of his 13 career singles titles coming on the surface, Borges is carving a name as a giant killer. He famously defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets at last year’s Swedish Open and now adds Ruud to his growing list.

Still, Borges was quick to acknowledge the role Ruud’s injury played. “Today I got lucky,” he admitted after the match. “I was fighting a lot, especially that first set, I felt like I was completely drilled. He really played a huge intensity, and I wasn’t handling the situation the best. It was too much for me. Then I just kept on trying and noticed he started to slow down a little bit, and obviously he wasn’t 100 per cent today or I’m sure the result would not have been the same.”

Borges d. Ruud 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-0

Nuno gets the biggest win of his life.

This is Casper’s earliest exit from Roland Garros in 7 years… he was struggling with something physically.

But Nuno played SO well.

✅1st top 10 win
✅1st Roland Garros R3

His time is now. 🥹

🇵🇹❤️ pic.twitter.com/FFsOPnIqGH
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 28, 2025

Borges Keeps It Clean: Key Match Stats

Borges produced a sharp, measured performance once the tide turned. He won a total of 111 points and hit 51 winners, matching Ruud’s eight aces. His serving held steady under pressure. He won 70% of his first-serve points and 46% on second serve, converting eight of 12 break-point opportunities.

Casper Ruud	Category	Nuno Borges
8	Aces	8
4	Double Faults	0
64%	1st Serve %	75%
57%	1st Serve Points Won%	70%
3/10	Break Points Won	8/12
17/34	Net Points Won	11/18
32	Winners	51
38	Unforced Errors	21
83	Total Points	111

More impressively, Borges kept his unforced errors in check, committing just 21 compared to Ruud’s 38. Ruud also hit four double faults, further hampering his chances as the match slipped away. With the win, Borges evens his head-to-head with Ruud at 1-1. Next, he’ll face 25th seed Alexei Popyrin in the third round on May 30.

2025 Roland Garros

Casper Ruud

Nuno Borges

Tennis History

Rudra Dubey

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.