Hong Kong Tennis Open: impressive Nuno Borges ends ex-world No 3 Marin Cilic’s campaign
Portuguese says he plans to use the break in his schedule to ‘see a little bit of Hong Kong’ before refocusing on his quarter-final
Portuguese eighth seed Nuno Borges continued his impressive start to the season with a straight‑sets win over former world No 3 Marin Cilic at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open on Wednesday.
The world No 45 beat the evergreen Cilic 7-5, 6-3, ending the Croat’s bid to reach the last eight.
“Overall, I thought I competed really well,” Borges said after the match. “It was not clean and perfect like we always want, but I’m here to keep building my tennis, to find confidence and rhythm.”
Having also defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-3 on Monday, Borges said his two victories in Hong Kong had boosted his confidence heading into the Australian Open.
“This is not just preparation,” Borges said. “It is a building block for the rest of the year, for Australia and everything ahead. I want to be playing better and better as the year goes on. Hopefully I get to do that, stay healthy, stay tough in the bad moments and the shaky moments where I am doubting a little bit.”
The match was played under a sudden temperature drop as Hong Kong recorded its lowest temperatures so far this winter, but the 26-year-old took the chill in stride, having spent his pre-season in his much colder homeland.