The tennis courts in Winston-Salem saw a mix of highs and lows for Portuguese players this week. While Francisco Cabral secured a spot in the doubles second round, his compatriot Nuno Borges faced an early exit from the singles competition. It’s all part of the final tune-up before the big one, the US Open, kicks off soon.
Cabral, a doubles specialist, teamed up with Austria’s Lucas Miedler for a thrilling win on Monday. The duo, ranked 29th and 28th respectively in doubles, took on Sweden’s Andre Goransson (33rd) and the Netherlands’ Sem Verbeek (43rd). It was a tough fight. Cabral and Miedler dropped the first set 4-6. But they clawed back, taking the second set in a tie-break, 7-6 (7-3). The match then went to a deciding super tie-break, which they won 10-8. The whole battle lasted one hour and 44 minutes.
The Portuguese-Austrian pair is the third seed in the tournament. Their next challenge will be against either France’s Sadio Doumbia (30th) and American Nathaniel Lammons (60th) or Poland’s Jan Zielinski (46th) and American Jackson Withrow (50th).
Things didn’t go as smoothly for Nuno Borges in the singles draw. Ranked 42nd in the world, Borges had a bye in the first round. However, his debut match ended in a quick loss. He fell to Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, who is ranked 78th. Majchrzak dominated the match, winning 6-1, 6-3. That match lasted just one hour and seven minutes.
This Winston-Salem tournament is the last chance for many players to get ready for the US Open. The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the season. It begins this coming Sunday. Both Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral have direct entry into the main draws. Two other Portuguese players, Jaime Faria and Henrique Rocha, will have to play through the qualifying rounds to earn their spots.
