Preview: Jannik Sinner vs. Nuno Borges - Wimbledon prediction, form, head-to-head

Nuno Borges will aim to pull off another Grand Slam upset on the singles draw when he takes on Jannik Sinner in the second round of Wimbledon on Wednesday.

The reigning champion and top seed on the men’s side squeaked out an opening round win over Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-3, while Borges ousted Tristan Boyer 6-3 7-5 7-5.

Match preview

Jannik Sinner survived a real scare in his opener at the All England Club this time around, coming from a set down on two occasions to win and keep his hopes of a repeat alive.

In the end, his serve powered him past a pesky Serbian opponent as the #1-ranked player on the men’s draw hit 31 aces, while winning 89% of his first serves.

With a win on Wednesday, Sinner will have advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon for a fifth successive occasion, having never lost a round two outing at this tournament before on the singles draw.

In 2026, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion has not lost a singles match at a major tournament when dropping the opening set, coming from behind to win on two occasions.

He has won nine of his last 10 second-round sets at Wimbledon, losing just four games at this stage of the event last year versus Aleksandar Vukic of Australia.

This year, the Italian has won more than 90% of his service games across all surfaces and saved over 70% of his break points.

Nuno Borges will compete in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday for a second successive occasion, having never advanced beyond his opening match until last year.

The Portuguese player won 77% of his first serves in his opener this time around, while converting four of his 13 break-point opportunities.

Another victory for him would mark the seventh time in his last eight major tournaments on the singles draw that Borges earns a place in the third round.

While he has never beaten Sinner, Borges has been able to elevate his game against top players at Grand Slams, defeating Casper Ruud at last year’s French Open and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the most recent Australian Open, with both men ranked eighth at the time.

In his opener, Borges also won 77% of his net points and hit a total of 33 winners to overcome his American counterpart after just over two hours of action.

On grass this year, he has won over 75% of his first serve points and more than 85% of his service games on that surface.

Tournament so far

Jannik Sinner:

First round: vs. Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 6-3

Nuno Borges:

First round: vs. Tristan Boyer 6-3 7-5 7-5

Head To Head

Sofia Open (2022) - Round of 16: Sinner wins 6-3 6-4

The only previous meeting between these two took place in Bulgaria in 2022, in a match that saw both men boast a first-serve percentage of over 90.

In the end, Sinner had 10 aces with Borges only hitting three, while the Italian converted two break points and his Portuguese counterpart had none.

We say: Sinner to win in three sets

His first-round match proved that Sinner is human, but we expect it will serve as a wake-up call for the defending champion, who seems to only get stronger the further he advances in a Grand Slam tournament.