Overview
- Nuno Borges, who closed their match Wednesday with an underarm serve ace, beat Tomás Etcheverry 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Barcelona ATP 500 round of 16.
- The final point caught Etcheverry off guard and led to a strained handshake and a crowd response that mixed boos with applause.
- Underarm serves are legal in tennis, yet many players view them as poor form at critical points, which explains the immediate friction on court.
- The win moves Borges into the quarterfinals against Hamad Medjedovic, who earlier ousted top seed contender Alex de Miñaur in straight sets.
- Etcheverry had arrived in strong clay form as the Rio Open champion with the season’s most wins on clay and a long streak against opponents outside the top 50, so this defeat halts that surge for now.