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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges
Date: February 19, 2025
Tournament: Qatar Open 2025
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $3,035,960
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges preview
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev will face Nuno Borges in the second round of the Qatar Open on February 19. Whoever wins, will face either second seed Alex de Minaur or qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals.
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Rublev has won five out of nine matches so far in the 2025 season. The Russian entered the ATP 500 event in Doha after a quarterfinal exit at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. He faced Alexander Bublik in the first round and won the first set after breaking in the eighth game.
Rublev and Bublik exchanged breaks in the first four games of the second set and the score was 2-2. The Russian broke the Kazakh's serve in the following game and this turned out to be decisive, as he went on to register a 6-4, 6-3 win and a spot in the second round of the Qatar Open.
Nuno Borges has won nine out of 14 matches so far in 2025, most notably reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic in Auckland. The Portuguese entered the Qatar Open after a second-round exit at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.
Here, he faced Otto Virtanen in the first round and took the opening set to a tiebreak after coming back from an early service break. Borges saved four set points to clinch the tiebreak and take the first set. The Portuguese broke Virtanen's serve early in the second set and this turned out to be decisive as he registered a 7-6(6), 6-3 win to book his place in the second round of the Qatar Open.
Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges head-to-head
Rublev currently leads 1-0 in the head-to-head between the two, having beaten Borges 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Swiss Indoors in Basel last year.
Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges odds
(Odds will be updated when available)
Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges prediction
While Borges has had a relatively better start to 2025, Rublev's quality makes him the favorite to win.
The Russian won 33 out of 46 points (71.7%) on his first serve during his match against Alexander Bublik, serving six aces. He has a solid serve and one of the best forehands on tour, something he will be looking to make the most out of. Rublev plays aggressively but in recent times, has managed to make fewer unforced errors.
Borges' first-serve numbers in his Qatar Open opener were almost identical to that of Rublev's, winning 40 out of 55 points (72.7%) so far, with three aces to his name. The Portuguese has a decent serve and will look to cash in on his service games in a bid to level the odds. His return has to be spot-on in order to stand a chance of winning.
While Borges is not one to be written off, if Rublev does not slip up, he should be able to come out on top and reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.
Pick: Rublev to win in straight sets.
