Nuno Borges of Portugal became the first lucky loser ever to reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters on Thursday, thrashing Peru’s Ignacio Buse 6-0, 6-2 in the last 16.
Borges, who fell in qualifying and only entered the main draw as a lucky loser, won the first eight games of the match as Buse struggled with an injury, according to Tennis Majors and Flashscore. The win took just one hour and 10 minutes.
It is a remarkable run for a player who was not even meant to be in the tournament — and it continues one of the most open Paris Masters in recent memory.
From qualifying defeat to the last eight
Borges’ story is the kind that makes tennis special. He lost in qualifying, packed his bags, and then got the call every lucky loser dreams of — a place in the main draw after another player’s withdrawal.
He has made the most of it. His 6-0, 6-2 win over Buse was the most one-sided match of the last-16 round, and it came after he had already beaten higher-ranked opponents to reach this stage.
No lucky loser had ever reached the quarter-finals in the history of the Paris Masters before Thursday. Borges has now done it, and he will face Casper Ruud on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.
A tournament of surprises
Borges is not the only surprise name in the last eight. Qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who stunned Novak Djokovic earlier in the week, is through to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, where he will face Frenchman Luca Van Assche — another surprise package who beat Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.
Top seed Alexander Zverev lost his first match as world number one, defending champion Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury before the tournament began, and the draw has been blown wide open.
What comes next
Borges faces Ruud, the Norwegian who beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3 in the last 16, in the final quarter-final of the day on Friday. Ruud will be the favourite, but Borges has already proved that rankings and seedings mean little in Paris this week.
Whatever happens on Friday, the Portuguese player’s run will be remembered as one of the great lucky-loser stories in Masters 1000 history.
Related reading:
Fritz Faces Alcaraz in Paris Masters Quarter-Final
Van Assche Meets Hijikata in Surprise Paris Quarter-Final
Sources: Tennis Majors (Nov 5, 2026); Flashscore Paris Masters live (Nov 5, 2026); Wikipedia 2026 Rolex Paris Masters singles draw.
