MAIA/STARNBERG, December 3, 2023
Local hero Nuno Borges captured the title of the Maia Open held at the Complexo Municipal de Ténis da Maia. The top seed of the €118,000 ATP Challenger Tour 100 indoor clay-court tournament in northern Portugal beat French veteran Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday’s singles final.
The 26-year-old Portuguese won 75 per cent of his first-service points and broke his rival’s serve four times to seal victory in one hour and one minute.
IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE for @nunoborges97!
The Portuguese No. 1 sails past Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-4 to become the new champion of #MaiaOpen, the @ATPChallenger held at his childhood club.
This one will mean a lot. What a day. What a week. pic.twitter.com/HWuu38ZmvW
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) December 3, 2023
“It is undoubtedly a dream come true,” said Borges, who was born in Maia, after winning the title at his home club.
“When I won the match point, I started reliving the moments I had here in the past. I probably spent here most of my time between the ages of 12 and 14. I could spend half an hour telling stories. The Centre Court means a lot to me and to many Portuguese as well. We had Davis Cup matches here, I was a ball boy at the Davis Cup… there was even an ATP tournament here that I don’t remember, but it had players like Juan Carlos Ferrero, and now being part of that group of champions of this court, with a stadium as full as I’ve never remembered seeing, with family, friends, and those who trained with me, means a lot to me.”
By lifting his fifth ATP Challenger career trophy, his third of the season following his triumphs in Monterrey, Mexico and Phoenix, United States, Borges earned € 16,020 in prize money as well as 100 ATP Ranking points.
