Borges vs Alcaraz Prediction 17 January 2025

Are there any signs that the 1/16 final match of the Australian Open between Nuno Borges and Carlos Alcaraz will be a long one? A great question to which we are going to provide a detailed answer in our prediction. Sportbooks hardly doubt an easy walk for the world's number three. However, we, in turn, are not yet ready to make bold assessments.

Nuno Borges

For Borges, the last few months have been challenging due to a severe injury. However, he returned from vacation in decent condition. Last week, Nuno performed excellently in Auckland (top-4), losing only to Zizou Bergs in a no-compromise battle. In Melbourne, the Portuguese spent nearly five hours dealing with Jordan Thompson and Alexander Muller, focusing primarily on quality service (1 break and 26 aces). At the previous major, by the way, the athlete also avoided failure (top-16 at the US Open). Although at that time, he didn’t put up any resistance against Daniil Medvedev.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz also shows fabulous tennis after the break, which is terrible news for competitors. In the foreseeable future, Carlos will definitely not catch up with Jannik Sinner in points, but that's not a problem. The Spaniard knows how to adapt to any conditions well, which allows him to constantly add new trophies to his collection. On these courts, the athlete demolished two strong middle-tier players, allowing only 42 unforced errors.

Editorial Prediction

In this match, Borges, in our opinion, will still offer Alcaraz minimal resistance. Nuno is excellently prepared for the match both physically and psychologically, and we believe he will make Carlos sweat. The individual total of the Portuguese representative over 11.5 is a reliable choice for the match.