Borges captures Oracle ITA title
For Starkville Daily News
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Nuno Borges capped off his incredible run at the inaugural Oracle ITA National Fall Championships with one of the biggest victories in Mississippi State men’s tennis history Sunday.
The top-seeded MSU junior All-American, ranked second nationally, took down thirdranked and third-seeded Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest 7-5, 6-3 in what was a backand-forth affair the entire match. Borges broke Chrysochos at 6-5 to earn the first set and then rode his momentum to a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set that ultimately led to his victory.
“He (Chrysochos) was playing unbelievable every single game,” Borges said. “I thought I was really close to getting a break and then he would step up every time. I’ve put a lot of work in. We all work very hard – the whole team – and obviously support each other very well and that makes a difference in the long term. I’m very proud of this and it gives me a lot of confidence.”
Chrysochos ended his day by taking home the tournament’s doubles championship.
“I want to give Petros a lot of credit for making it tough on Nuno (Sunday),” MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. “We respect him so much and he played great. Nuno found a way to get a break in the first set and Petros would come back with some really great tennis. I’m proud of how Nuno stuck to the game plan while focusing on his longterm development throughout the match and the entire tournament.”
All six of Borges’ wins in the tournament came in straight-set fashion against ranked opposition, closing out a dominant performance on the week by the 2017 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.
With the win, Borges became the first Bulldog to win a major collegiate event since three-time All-American and 1997 ITA National Player of the Year Thomas Dupre in 1996. Dupre won both the ITA National Clay Court Championships and the ITA AllAmerican Championships back-to-back that fall.
In the title match of the tournament’s consolation draw Sunday, Bulldog Giovanni Oradini’s exciting run came to a close, as the sophomore dropped a hard-fought 6-4, 6-2 decision to Michigan’s Alex Knight, who is ranked 51st nationally. The match ended a consolation run in which the MSU lefty earned victories against three ranked foes, giving him 10 such wins during an incredible fall campaign.