The buzz is growing louder here at Flushing Meadows. Portuguese tennis talent is making a real mark, especially in the doubles competition. This year, fans will keenly follow two of their own: Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges. Both players are set to kick off their US Open doubles campaigns, each eyeing a deep run.
Francisco Cabral, Portugal’s top-ranked doubles player, arrives in New York with serious momentum. Just this week, the Porto native hit a career-high ranking of 26th in the world. This mark also ties the best-ever doubles ranking for any Portuguese player. Cabral and his Austrian partner, Lucas Miedler, are the 12th seeds in this year’s tournament. They will start their journey in the 139th edition of the season’s final major against Nicolas Barrientos and Nathaniel Lammons. Interestingly, Cabral has a history with Barrientos, having played two Grand Slam events with the Colombian before. Lammons hails from the United States.
Cabral and Miedler have been a strong team since March. Together, they have collected titles at the Madrid and Bordeaux Challengers. They also captured an ATP 250 trophy in Gstaad, Sweden. Beyond those wins, they reached the finals of the Oeiras Open 4 and the Estoril Open. They also made it to the semifinals of the ATP 500 event in Halle. Cabral’s best Grand Slam performance remains a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open. Now, he is back in New York, aiming to defend the third-round finish he achieved here last year.
Meanwhile, Nuno Borges is pulling double duty. He is still competing in the singles main draw. For his doubles challenge, Borges teams up with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. Their opening match pits them against American hosts Brandon Holt and Colton Smith. It’s a quick rematch for Borges, who just defeated Brandon Holt in the first round of singles.
Borges is no stranger to deep doubles runs at the US Open. In 2024, he also reached the third round of the doubles competition. That year, he played alongside his good friend, Francisco Cabral. The pair then went on to reach the fourth round together in Melbourne at the Australian Open earlier this season.