Nuno Borges - Men's Tennis - Mississippi State
- ️Wed May 01 2019
Career
Singles Record: 121-23 // 81-12 dual // 39-8 SEC
Doubles Record: 68-42 // 54-31 dual // 22-17 SEC
Highest National Singles Ranking: 1st (5/1/19; 5/29/19)
Highest National Doubles Ranking: 1st (5/3/18; 5/30/18; 9/11/18)
Awards/Honors
NCAA Singles Runner-up (2019)
ITA National Player of the Year (2019)
ITA Senior Player of the Year (2019)
SEC Tournament MVP (2019)
ITA All-American Championships Singles Finalist (2018)
ITA All-American Championships Doubles Consolation Finalist (2018)
ITA All-American, Singles, 3x (2017, 2018)
ITA All-American, Doubles, 2x (2018, 2019)
SEC Player of the Year, 3x (2017, 2018, 2019)
Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-American (2018)
ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award (2018)
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2x (2018, 2019)
ITA Scholar-Athlete (2017, 2018)
Oracle ITA National Fall Championships Singles Champion (2017)
NCAA Singles Semifinalist, 2x (2017, 2018)
NCAA Singles Automatic Qualifier, 3x – No. 4 seed (2017); No. 3 seed (2018); No. 1 seed (2019)
NCAA Doubles Quarterfinalist, 2x (2018, 2019)
NCAA Doubles Automatic Qualifier, 2x – No. 1 seed (2018); No. 3 seed (2019)
All-SEC First Team, 3x (2017, 2018, 2019)
All-SEC Second Team (2016)
SEC All-Freshman Team (2016)
SEC All-Tournament Team, 3x (2016, 2017, 2019)
ITA Indoor Singles Semifinalist (2016)
ITA Southern Regional Singles Champion (2016)
SEC Player of the Week, 5x (2017 [2x], 2019 [3x])
SEC Community Service Team, 3x (2017, 2018, 2019)
Overall Newsom Award (2018)
Senior (2018-19)
Singles Record: 37-3 // 25-0 dual // 12-0 SEC
Doubles Record: 23-11 // 16-7 dual // 9-2 SEC
Highest National Singles Ranking: 1st (5/1/19)
Highest National Doubles Ranking: 1st (9/11/18)
Awards/Honors
ITA National Player of the Year (2019)
ITA Senior Player of the Year (2019)
ITA All-American (Singles, Doubles)
SEC Player of the Year (2019)
All-SEC First Team (2019)
SEC Tournament MVP (2019)
SEC All-Tournament Team (2019)
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2019)
NCAA Singles Automatic Qualifier – No. 1 seed (2019)
NCAA Singles Runner-up (2019)
NCAA Doubles Automatic Qualifier – No. 3 seed (2019)
NCAA Doubles Quarterfinalist (2019)
ITA All-American Championships Singles Finalist (2018)
ITA All-American Championships Doubles Consolation Finalist (2018)
SEC Player of the Week (3x: 2/20, 3/27, 4/16)
SEC Community Service Team (2019)
FALL:
- Opened the fall ranked second in singles and first nationally in doubles alongside Strahinja Rakic, becoming the first Bulldog pair to open the season with the top ranking since Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons opened the fall at the top spot.
- Reached the singles final and the doubles consolation final of the 2018 ITA All-American Championships.
- Advanced to the final round of singles qualifying at the ATP Charlottesville (Virginia) Challenger, earning his highest-ranked ATP win in the second round with a three-set triumph over Jan Choinski (ATP 271).
- Finished the fall ranked 11th nationally in singles and 36th in doubles.
- Finished his final fall campaign by winning the 2018 USTA Pensacola Futures singles title. In that run, he did not drop a set in five matches.
- After his Pensacola win, Borges catapulted to a career-best No. 454 in the year-end ATP rankings
SPRING:
- Concluded his historic career ranked No. 1 in singles, becoming the third Bulldog to do so, while also being ranked third in doubles.
- Finished the season unbeaten in dual match play (25-0) at the No. 1 position, becoming the first Bulldog to do so.
- Amassed a career-long and program-best 31-match winning streak in which he won 26 in straight sets.
- Capped off his career by holding either a tie or sole possession of first place all-time in nine career categories, including total wins (189), singles wins (121), dual match wins (135), dual singles wins (81), wins by a doubles pair (57 w/ Strahinja Rakic), overall win % (74.4%), singles win % (84.0%), dual win % (75.8%) and dual singles win % (87.1%)
- Also finished his career inside the top 10 in dual match doubles wins (T4th, 54)
- Borges saved arguably his best season of his unmatched career for last, totaling 60 wins (t5th), 37 singles wins (t3rd), 41 dual match wins (1st), 25 dual singles wins (t1st). He also owned program-best winning percentages in singles (92.5%), dual matches (85.4%) and dual match singles (100.0%)
- Named the ITA’s national Senior Player of the Year
- Clinched MSU’s win over Miami (2/1) with a 6-4, 6-1 victory against No. 21 Adria Soriano Barrera.
- Upended Notre Dame’s 14th-ranked Alex Lebedev 6-4, 6-4 in MSU’s final match of the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship (2/17).
- Locked up the Bulldogs’ victory against No. 21 Oklahoma in Orlando (2/23) with a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(2) thriller against No. 61 Spencer Papa.
- Earned his 100th career singles win in a 6-0, 6-1 decision over Vanderbilt’s Cameron Klinger (3/1).
- Posted a 6-4, 7-6(1) triumph over Florida’s No. 24 Oliver Crawford (3/10) before taking an exciting three-set battle against 12th-ranked Paul Jubb of South Carolina the following day (3/11).
- Ousted Georgia’s 21st-ranked Emil Reinberg 6-2, 6-1 in MSU’s 4-3 win against UGA (3/24).
- Sealed State’s 5-2 victory over No. 38 Arkansas with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over No. 52 Oscar Mesquida (3/30).
- Most notable match-clinching win came in the SEC Tournament final (4/21), taking a three-set victory over Tennessee’s Timo Stodder after dropping the first set in Gainesville, Florida, en route to earning Tournament MVP honors.
- Tallied five straight-set triumphs en route to becoming the first Bulldog to reach the final of the NCAA Singles Championship – four over top-25 opponents including two vs. top-10 foes
- Clinched a team-high 11 doubles points for the Bulldogs at the No. 1 position alongside Strahinja Rakic.
- Defeated of No. 9 Richard Ciamarra and Tristan McCormick of Notre Dame to clinch doubles at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship (2/17)
- Clinched both of MSU’s doubles points in SEC opening-weekend victories over Vanderbilt (3/1) and Kentucky (3/2).
- Locked up the doubles point for MSU against Alabama (3/14) with a 6-3 win over No. 17 Patrick Kaukovalta and Mazen Osama.
- Claimed a 6-1 win over Texas A&M’s 10th-ranked Juan Carlos Aguilar and Barnaby Smith that clinched the doubles point in College Station (4/12) that sparked a 6-1 victory.
Junior (2017-18)
Singles Record: 27-7 // 16-5 dual // 9-3 SEC
Doubles Record: 20-7 // 16-5 dual // 6-3 SEC
Highest National Singles Ranking: 2nd (9/12/17; 2/7/18; 4/24/18; 5/3/18)
Highest National Doubles Ranking: 1st (5/3/18)
Awards/Honors
ITA All-American (Singles, Doubles)
SEC Player of the Year (2018)
All-SEC First Team (2018)
Oracle ITA National Fall Championships Singles Champion (2017)
ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award (2018)
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2018)
NCAA Singles Automatic Qualifier – No. 3 seed (2018)
NCAA Singles Semifinalist (2018)
NCAA Doubles Automatic Qualifier – No. 1 seed (2018)
NCAA Doubles Quarterfinalist (2018)
SEC Community Service Team (2018)
Overall Newsom Award (2018)
FALL:
- Dominated the inaugural Oracle ITA National Fall Championships by claiming six consecutive ranked victories to win the singles crown as one of two wild card entries
- At the National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif., Borges never lost a set in his six wins, including a 7-5, 6-3 win against third-ranked Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest.
- Borges went on a six-match win streak from Nov. 1-5 to close out the fall slate against ITA competition, plus three wins at the USTA Pensacola Futures.
- Finished in the semifinals of the 2017 USTA Pensacola Futures, defeating three ATP ranked opponents
SPRING:
- Clinched four doubles points for MSU alongside partner Strahinja Rakic, splitting time between the No. 1 and 2 positions.
- Clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs with Rakic vs. Auburn’s Matteo De Vincentis and Edward Nguyen on March 4 in MSU’s SEC opener.
- 23 of his 27 wins came against ranked opposition.
- Earned his 50thcareer dual match singles win on March 16 at Alabama, defeating No. 92 Mazen Osama in straight sets.
- Notched his 75thcareer singles win with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win against Georgia’s 15th-ranked Wayne Montgomery on March 30 in Athens.
- In doubles, went on a three-match win streak with all three wins against ranked foes, including the match-clinching victory against Vanderbilt’s 46th-ranked Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe on March 23.
- Earned his 25thcareer SEC win with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Ole Miss’s No. 30 Tim Sandkaulen on April 8.
- Was named the men’s tennis Newsom Award winner in addition to earning the men’s overall Newsom Award.
- Named Male Athlete of the Year on April 23 at the inaugural Maroon & White Night honoring the achievements of MSU student-athletes, staff and coaches.
- Was named to his second SEC Community Service Team in as many years on April 24.
- Became just the third player in SEC history to earn SEC Player of the Year honors in multiple seasons, joining Georgia great John Isner and Tennessee standout John-Patrick Smith
- Became the first men’s tennis player to ever earn league Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in the same career.
- Broke Ohio State’s 19-match doubles point win streak with a point-clinching, 6-4 victory against Martin Joyce and JJ Wolf in the NCAA quarterfinals
- Became the first MSU men’s tennis player to earn the national Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award since Marco Baron in 2001
- Reached the NCAA Singles semifinals for the second consecutive year, the first Bulldog ever to do so
- Climbed from unranked in March to the No. 1 ITA ranking in doubles prior to the NCAA Team Championship.
- Borges and Rakic currently rank seventh in program history for career wins by a doubles pair (34), needing just two to tie for sixth place on the leaderboard.
- Reached the NCAA quarterfinals in doubles, becoming the first Bulldog duo to do so since 2000.
- Became the first Bulldog to reach the quarterfinals of both the singles and doubles championships in the same season since Joc Simmons (1994).
- Currently tied for seventh place all-time in program history for career dual match singles wins (56), needing one to tie for sixth.
- Borges and Rakic became the first Bulldog duo to finish the season ranked No. 1 in program history.
Sophomore (2016-17)
Singles: 36-7 // 20-3 Dual Match // 9-2 SEC
Doubles: 16-13 // 13-11 Dual Match // 5-6 SEC
Highest Singles Ranking: 3rd (2/8/17)
Awards/Honors
ITA Southern Regional Singles Champion (2016)
ITA Indoor Singles Semifinalist (2016)
SEC Player of the Week, 2xs (2017)
SEC Player of the Year (2017)
All-SEC First Team (2017)
SEC All-Tournament Team (2017)
NCAA Singles Automatic Qualifier - No. 4 seed (2017)
NCAA Singles Semifinalist (2017)
FALL:
- Nuno Borges won a team-best 12 singles matches in tournament play on his first fall action as a Bulldog
- Defeated six opponents to claim the ITA Southern Regional singles crown
- Fought his way to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, before falling to the nation's No. 1 player at the time Mikael Torpegaard
- Won six ranked matches in singles play
- Borges went on a nine-match win streak from Oct. 7-Nov. 4
- With doubles partner Strahinja Rakic, won three matches in the duo's first action together
- Downed one ranked foe with Rakic in doubles play, which was the first match of the pair's fall at the ITA All-American Championships
SPRING:
- Nuno Borges compiled a 36-7 record overall in singles play, which ranks as the fourth most in a single season at MSU
- The Bulldog was named an All-American after receiving an automatic bid at the NCAA Singles Championship as the No. 4 seed
- Borges was later elevated to the No. 2 seed after two withdrawals ahead of him
- Borges became the first Bulldog in school history to advance to the NCAA Singles Semifinals
- The sophomore defeated four foes in Athens on his way to a semifinal finish at the NCAA Singles Championship
- Borges' All-America honor was MSU's first since Romain Bogaerts in 2013
- The Bulldog finished the season ranked third overall, which was the highest final ITA ranking since MSU's Marco Baron (No. 1) in 2001
- Only three Bulldogs before Borges has earned a final Top 3 singles ranking in singles play (Marco Baron - No. 1, Thomas Dupre - No. 1 and Laurent Orsini - No. 3)
- Borges spent the entire spring in the ITA Singles Top 10, never dropping below No. 8 overall
- Borges earned SEC Player of the Year, All-SEC First Team, SEC All-Tournament Team and SEC Community Service Team honors in 2017
- Borges was the first SEC POY recipient since Marco Baron in 2001 and just the third overall
- As a sophomore, Borges was the youngest Bulldog to ever earn a SEC POY honor
- In his sophomore campaign, Borges finished with a 20-3 dual-match record, with all 23 matches coming at the No. 1 spot in singles
- Borges' 20-3 record at the No. 1 position was the best in the SEC
- Led the team with a 9-2 record in singles league play
- Borges defeated 26 ranked singles foes in 2017, with four coming against Top 10 foes
- Borges went on a nine-match win streak in singles play from Jan. 21-March 7
- Borges clinched three matches for MSU against Florida State (Jan. 28), Northwestern (Feb. 19) and Texas A&M (April 7)
- Borges claimed his first SEC Player of the Week honor on March 1, before earning the honor again on April 14
- The sophomore went wire-to-wire as the top ranked player in the ITA Southern Region as he opened the season No. 1 before capping the year first overall
- In doubles action, the Bulldog earned a 14-11 record overall with partner Strahinja Rakic
- The 14 wins were second most on the team, behind Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey's 20
- The duo of Borges and Rakic also compiled an 11-9 record in dual-match play as well
- The tandem of Borges and Rakic clinched two doubles points for the Bulldogs, both coming in postseason action
- The first doubles point was against South Carolina (April 28) at the SEC Tournament, while the other came over SMU (May 12) at the NCAA Tournament
- Borges won MSU's Newsom Award, given to the top student-athlete for each team on campus
Freshman (2015-16)
Singles: 21-6 // 20-4 Dual Match // 9-3 SEC
Doubles: 9-11 // 9-8 Dual Match // 2-6 SEC
Highest Singles Ranking: 70th (5/5/16)
Awards/Honors
All-SEC Second Team
SEC All-Freshman Team
SEC All-Tournament Team
SEC Freshman of the Week (March 30)
SPRING:
- Earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on March 30
- Finished his freshman year with a 21-6 record, the best winning percentage on the team
- Went 11-0 at home in singles play
- Had a 9-3 record in the SEC playing from the No. 2 or No. 3 slot
- His highest ranked win of the season came in the second round of the NCAA Championship against 60th ranked Aron Hiltzik of Illinois
- Held an 8-2 home record in doubles for the year
- Reached a season-high 70th ranking in singles on May 5
- Won seven-straight singles matches from April 3 to May 14
Pre-Mississippi State
- Attended Escola Secundaria da Maia in Portugal
- Played in three Grand Slams as a junior
- Comes to Starkville as the 44th ranked ITF junior, winning three ITF singles' titles as well as two doubles' titles
- Compiled 53 ITF singles wins
- Won a U18 division national title for his home country, rising to No.1 in Portugal
- Rose to a career-best 1098 in the ATP rankings in November of 2015
Personal
- Native of Maia, Porto, Portugal
- Born Feb. 19, 1997
- Majoring in kinesiology
- Son of Paulo and Virginia Borges