Nuno Borges battles back to stun former World No. 2 and close in on history

What a way to secure a 99th career ATP Tour victory!

Nuno Borges claimed one of the biggest wins of his career on Wednesday, defeating Norway's Casper Ruud in three sets (1-6, 6-3, 6-4) in Basel to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP 500 event for only the second time, having also done so in Barcelona earlier this season.

The Portuguese star's opening set was one to forget. Nothing seemed to click, and in under 30 minutes, Ruud swept it 6-1.

Borges' response, however, was exemplary. Undeterred by the firepower of the former World No. 2, now ranked 25th, he saved two break points early in the second set and grew in stature, taking it 6-3 with soaring confidence as momentum swung in his favour. 

Then, in the seventh game of a tightly contested deciding set where both men had held serve comfortably, Ruud made a costly mistake: a double fault on break point that handed Borges the crucial breakthrough.

The Maia native consolidated the break in the following game to move 5-3 ahead, closing in on a spot in the last eight in Switzerland. Ruud held to stay in the match and saved two match points, but could not prevent the Portuguese No. 1 from penning another memorable chapter in his career.

Should Borges reach his milestone 100th win this week and punch a ticket to the semi-finals, it would represent the best ATP 500 run of his career. 

Having already taken down a former World No. 2 to get this far, he could find himself up against one of the game's all-time titans deeper in the draw: Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian icon will cross paths with Borges should he defeat Ugo Humbert in the last 16 and Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals.