diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/client/elc/RequestConverter.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/client/elc/RequestConverter.java
index 3714885b1..e854573fa 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/client/elc/RequestConverter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/client/elc/RequestConverter.java
@@ -1192,6 +1192,13 @@ class RequestConverter {
 
 		builder.searchType(searchType(query.getSearchType()));
 
+		addHighlight(query, builder);
+
+		if (query instanceof NativeQuery) {
+			prepareNativeSearch((NativeQuery) query, builder);
+		}
+		// query.getSort() must be checked after prepareNativeSearch as this already might hav a sort set that must have
+		// higher priority
 		if (query.getSort() != null) {
 			List<SortOptions> sortOptions = getSortOptions(query.getSort(), persistentEntity);
 
@@ -1200,12 +1207,6 @@ class RequestConverter {
 			}
 		}
 
-		addHighlight(query, builder);
-
-		if (query instanceof NativeQuery) {
-			prepareNativeSearch((NativeQuery) query, builder);
-		}
-
 		if (query.getTrackTotalHits() != null) {
 			// logic from the RHLC, choose between -1 and Integer.MAX_VALUE
 			int value = query.getTrackTotalHits() ? Integer.MAX_VALUE : -1;
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests.java
index ff47d85f4..d550bb6fd 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.core;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.*;
 import static org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.client.elc.QueryBuilders.*;
 
+import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.SortOrder;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.aggregations.Aggregate;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.aggregations.Buckets;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.aggregations.StringTermsAggregate;
@@ -27,10 +28,13 @@ import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.core.search.FieldCollapse;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Import;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.ELCQueries;
+import org.springframework.data.domain.Pageable;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.client.elc.Aggregation;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.client.elc.ElasticsearchAggregation;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.client.elc.NativeQuery;
@@ -48,6 +52,51 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
 @ContextConfiguration(classes = ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests.Config.class)
 public class ReactiveElasticsearchELCIntegrationTests extends ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests {
 
+	@Test // #2745
+	@DisplayName("should use sort defined in native unbounded query")
+	void shouldUseSortDefinedInNativeUnboundedQuery() {
+		var entity1 = randomEntity(null);
+		entity1.setRate(7);
+		var entity2 = randomEntity(null);
+		entity2.setRate(5);
+		var entity3 = randomEntity(null);
+		entity3.setRate(11);
+
+		operations.saveAll(List.of(entity1, entity2, entity3), SampleEntity.class).blockLast();
+
+		var query = NativeQuery.builder()
+				.withQuery(qb -> qb
+						.matchAll(m -> m))
+				.withSort(sob -> sob
+						.field(f -> f
+								.field("rate")
+								.order(SortOrder.Asc)))
+				.withPageable(Pageable.unpaged())
+				.build();
+
+		var rates = operations.search(query, SampleEntity.class)
+				.map(SearchHit::getContent)
+				.map(SampleEntity::getRate)
+				.collectList().block();
+		assertThat(rates).containsExactly(5, 7, 11);
+
+		query = NativeQuery.builder()
+				.withQuery(qb -> qb
+						.matchAll(m -> m))
+				.withSort(sob -> sob
+						.field(f -> f
+								.field("rate")
+								.order(SortOrder.Desc)))
+				.withPageable(Pageable.unpaged())
+				.build();
+
+		rates = operations.search(query, SampleEntity.class)
+				.map(SearchHit::getContent)
+				.map(SampleEntity::getRate)
+				.collectList().block();
+		assertThat(rates).containsExactly(11, 7, 5);
+	}
+
 	@Configuration
 	@Import({ ReactiveElasticsearchTemplateConfiguration.class })
 	static class Config {
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests.java
index ffad609fd..7a414a3bf 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests.java
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 @SpringIntegrationTest
 public abstract class ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests {
 
-	@Autowired private ReactiveElasticsearchOperations operations;
+	@Autowired protected ReactiveElasticsearchOperations operations;
 	@Autowired private IndexNameProvider indexNameProvider;
 
 	// region Setup
@@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@ public abstract class ReactiveElasticsearchIntegrationTests {
 	// endregion
 
 	// region Helper functions
-	private SampleEntity randomEntity(String message) {
+	protected SampleEntity randomEntity(@Nullable String message) {
 
 		SampleEntity entity = new SampleEntity();
 		entity.setId(UUID.randomUUID().toString());