Rublev Staves Off Borges Challenge To Reach Last 16

Paris: Russian Andrey Rublev reached the last 16 of the French Open for the second consecutive year as the 11th seed defeated Portuguese Nuno Borges 7-5 7-6(2) 7-6(2) on a hot Friday morning.

Rublev is among several players seeking a first Grand ⁠Slam title after the men’s draw ended following Thursday’s defeat of top seed Jannik Sinner.

The two-time Paris quarter-finalist, who has failed to advance past this stage in any of the four Grand Slams, faced stiff resistance from Borges in the first two sets.

The unseeded Portuguese did not lose her intensity despite falling behind, forcing yet another third set tiebreak where Court Suzanne Lenglen fans felt a late comeback.

However, Rublev fended off the challenge and improved by losing just two points in the tiebreak, taking his head-to-head win-loss record against Borges to 5-0.

The Russian will compete with either eighth-placed Australian Alex de Minaur or Czech 26th-placed Jakub Mensik.