Nuno Borges receives a national honor for the second year in a row, being named the ITA's National Senior Player of the Year on Sunday.
Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics
Borges Named ITA National Senior Player Of The Year
May 19, 2019 | Men's Tennis
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
ORLANDO, Fla. – A day after being named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Region's Senior Player of the Year, Mississippi State's Nuno Borges received the prestigious national honor on Sunday.
The award marks the second straight national award for the three-time SEC Player of the Year after Borges received the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award in 2018.
"It is an indescribable feeling to be recognized with such an incredible award," Borges said. "I'm very happy and am so thankful for all of my coaches and teammates who have helped me get to this point. It has been an honor to represent Mississippi State over the last four years."
Borges has automatically qualified for both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships - which begin Monday in Orlando - earning top-5 national seeds in both draws for the second year in a row. The three-time SEC Player of the Year Borges, ranked first nationally, will compete as the No. 1 singles seed, while he and Strahinja Rakic will team up as the No. 3 overall doubles seed.
The Maia, Porto, Portugal, native is entering the NCAA Championships riding a career-long 26-match winning streak in singles and became the first Bulldog to finish a dual-match season unbeaten (25-0) this spring, all at the No. 1 position. Overall, he holds a staggering 32-2 singles ledger in 2018-19. This marks Borges' third straight appearance in the singles championship, with all three coming as an automatic qualifier. He reached the NCAA Singles semifinals each of the last two years.
In the first round, Borges will face No. 21 Alexis Galarneau of North Carolina State at 11 a.m. ET Monday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
In doubles, Borges and Rakic have picked up right where they left off from their NCAA Doubles quarterfinal run a year ago, holding a 21-10 overall mark in 2018-19. This spring, the duo was just as impressive, anchoring the No. 1 position with a 16-7 ledger that includes a 9-2 mark in SEC play. Together, Borges and Rakic hold the most wins by a doubles pair in program history with 55.
"This is the latest in a long line of accomplishments for Nuno," head coach Matt Roberts said. "The senior season he has put together has been incredible to watch and he still has the NCAA Championships to play this week. He represents Mississippi State and our program so well and I'm very proud of him."
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
ORLANDO, Fla. – A day after being named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Region's Senior Player of the Year, Mississippi State's Nuno Borges received the prestigious national honor on Sunday.
The award marks the second straight national award for the three-time SEC Player of the Year after Borges received the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award in 2018.
"It is an indescribable feeling to be recognized with such an incredible award," Borges said. "I'm very happy and am so thankful for all of my coaches and teammates who have helped me get to this point. It has been an honor to represent Mississippi State over the last four years."
Borges has automatically qualified for both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships - which begin Monday in Orlando - earning top-5 national seeds in both draws for the second year in a row. The three-time SEC Player of the Year Borges, ranked first nationally, will compete as the No. 1 singles seed, while he and Strahinja Rakic will team up as the No. 3 overall doubles seed.
The Maia, Porto, Portugal, native is entering the NCAA Championships riding a career-long 26-match winning streak in singles and became the first Bulldog to finish a dual-match season unbeaten (25-0) this spring, all at the No. 1 position. Overall, he holds a staggering 32-2 singles ledger in 2018-19. This marks Borges' third straight appearance in the singles championship, with all three coming as an automatic qualifier. He reached the NCAA Singles semifinals each of the last two years.
In the first round, Borges will face No. 21 Alexis Galarneau of North Carolina State at 11 a.m. ET Monday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
In doubles, Borges and Rakic have picked up right where they left off from their NCAA Doubles quarterfinal run a year ago, holding a 21-10 overall mark in 2018-19. This spring, the duo was just as impressive, anchoring the No. 1 position with a 16-7 ledger that includes a 9-2 mark in SEC play. Together, Borges and Rakic hold the most wins by a doubles pair in program history with 55.
"This is the latest in a long line of accomplishments for Nuno," head coach Matt Roberts said. "The senior season he has put together has been incredible to watch and he still has the NCAA Championships to play this week. He represents Mississippi State and our program so well and I'm very proud of him."
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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