Last year’s US Open semifinalist and four-time ATP titlist Pablo Carreno Busta secured Spain a spot in the ATP Cup semifinals with a 6-3 6-4 win against world number 462 Michail Pervolarakis in 70 minutes.
Spain has qualified for the ATP Cup semifinals for the second consecutive year despite the absence of 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who had to pull out the tie due to a stiff lower back. Spain will face Italy in the semifinal.
Carreno Busta has scored his second singles match after beating Australia’s John Millman on Tuesday. The former world number 10 player has dropped just 13 games in 4 sets.
The Spanish player hit 19 winners to 11 unforced errors. He broke three times and dropped his serve once from the two break points he faced.
Carreno Busta earned an early break in the second game after Pervolarakis made a forehand error. The Spanish player hit a service winner to consolidate a break with a hold of serve and built up a 3-0 lead.
Carreno Busta broke serve for the second time in the fourth game, as Pervolarakis netted an easy forehand. The Greek pulled one break back and held serve to love to claw his way back to 3-5. Carreno Busta hit a forehand winner in the ninth game to hold serve at love closing out the first set 6-3 after 30 minutes. Carreno Busta earned a break at the start of the second set and held five consecutive service games to seal the second set 6-4.
“I knew that we needed this point. With this victory, we are into the semifinals, so it very important to us. I tried to be focused on myself, to try to play my best game. At the beginning of the match, I think it was perfect. I played really better, to play more aggressive and I tried to continue. Finally I won 6-3 6-4 and I am happy”, said Carreno Busta in his on-court interview.
Top ten player and 2019 ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas beat 2019 Davis Cup champion and former top 10 player Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5 7-5 after 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Tsitsipas dropped 15 points in 12 service games and broke serve three times. The Athens-native player fended off two break points in the third game of the opening set. Both players held on their nervice games until the 12th game, when Bautista Agut was two points away from the tie-break. Tsitsipas forced an error from Bautista Agut to break serve and seal the first set 7-5.
Tsitsipas built up a 3-0 with an early break at the start of the second set. Bautista Agut fended off three match points on serve at 2-5 and broke back with a backhand down the line return winner in the eighth game. Tsitsipas sealed the second set 7-5 with a late break after Bautista Agut hit his first double fault on the final point of the match.
Tsitsipas has extended his winning record in his head-to-head matches to 2-0. The Greek player beat his Spanish player in four sets in the 2019 Australian Open quarter finals to become the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since a 20-year-old Novak Djokovic at the 2007 US Open.
Tsitsipas and Markos Kalovelonis returned to John Cain Arena to clash against Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers in the doubles match. Greece won the first set, befor Spain retired. Greece recorded the first tie win in ATP Cup history.
“It was a good match. I played very solid throughout the whole match and showed aggression. My forehand was on fire, my serve was working really well for me. I executed my game plan very well and had a clear picture of what I was intending to do on the court”, said Tsitsipas.
