Borges ends 0-5 skid against Rublev, who will now leave the Top 20
Nuno Borges beat Andrey Rublev to become the first Portuguese man into the Cincinnati last 16, ending a five-match losing streak against the Russian and knocking him out of the world’s top 20.
Andrey Rublev, 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Portuguese Nuno Borges beat Russian Andrey Rublev, the No 13 seed, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday evening to reach the last 16 of the Cincinnati Open, becoming the first Portuguese man to do so and finally turning around a head-to-head that had run 5-0 in the Russian’s favour.
Borges will next face the winner of American Brandon Nakashima, the No 27 seed, and Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No 4 seed.
The win carried plenty of weight beyond the history books. It is Borges’s second straight Masters 1000 last-16 after Montreal last week, his sixth at that level in his career, and his third win over a top-20 opponent this season – pushing his 2026 record to 27-22.
For Rublev, the loss is costlier still: the former Cincinnati finalist needed at least the quarterfinals this week to stay inside the world’s top 20, a spot he had held without interruption since first cracking it in January 2020. Tuesday’s exit means he drops out of the top 20 for the first time in over six years.
Borges reflected on what the milestone could mean beyond his own result. “I hope it inspires the younger generation and helps put tennis into our culture,” he said after the match. “We’re a football country, but we still have two or three – Cabral had just lost – Portuguese players in the draw, and we had another one in qualifying, which is great for us.”
A second Portuguese milestone was still up for grabs later Tuesday, with Jaime Faria playing Adam Walton on Champions’ Court for a chance to join Borges in the Cincinnati last 16.
Borges reached this stage by beating No 20 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 6-4, then edging past Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4). Rublev, for his part, had beaten Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the previous round.
Cincinnati Masters 1000 3rd Round
- A. Zverev (1) vs T. Atmane: 7-6, 7-6
- T. Paul (18) vs A/ Vallejo: 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- R. Jodar (12) vs A. Tabilo (22): 6-2, 6-1
- F. Cobolli (7) vs A. Blockx (28): 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
- T. Tirante vs M. Arnaldi (31): 7-6, 7-6
- Mensik (14) vs R. Hijikata: 6-3, 6-4
- A. Fils (21) vs J. Lehecka (9): 6-1, 6-7, 6-3
- A. de Minaur (5) vs A. Fery (32): 7-5, 7-6
- T. Fritz (6) vs D. Merida: 6-1, 6-7, 6-3
- C. O’Connell d. Fonseca (23): WO
- N. Borges d. A. Rublev (13): 6-3, 6-4
- B. Nakashima (27) vs D. Medvedev (4)
- J. Faria vs A. Walton
- M. Zheng vs L. Musetti (10)
- L. Tien (16) vs F. Tiafoe (17)
- J. Cerundolo vs F. Auger-Aliassime (2)
