Nuno Borges vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction & Picks - ATP Australian Open

Prediction published on 1/16/25, 9:41 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 1/16/25 at 9:44 AM in ATP Australian Open Picks

First test for Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who meets Portugal's Nuno Borges in the 3rd round of the Australian Open on Friday morning.

Carlos Alcaraz has arrived at 100% for this Australian Open, which has not been the case in previous editions. The Spaniard can now look forward to the 2025 tournament, and the first two rounds have gone well for the world #3. Firstly, the four-time Grand Slam winner defeated Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko in 3 sets, then followed up with an easy 3-set win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka. A smooth start for the Iberian, who will have to raise his game if he is to book his place in the last 16 against Nuno Borges.

Coming off the best season of his career, the Portuguese player is confirming this early season. Runner-up a year ago, the Lusitanian player got the year off to a good start with a semi-final in Auckland a week ago. Then, the draw wasn't kind to the 33rd-ranked ATP player, with a first-round match against France's Alexandre Muller, a recent winner in Hong Kong. This 4-setter provided a good start to the tournament, before facing top seed Jordan Thompson (27). Against the Australian, Nuno Borges put in his best performance of the year with a 3-set victory, giving him the chance to take on one of the tournament favorites in the 3rd round.