Pablo Carreno Busta edged past Alexander Bublik 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(3) in Chengdu to win his first ATP title since 2017.
The Spaniard edged past Bublik in just over two hours to claim his first ATP World title in two years after suffering multiple injuries this year.
Despite hitting 31 aces, the Kazakhstani couldn’t break down Carreno Busta as he was denied his second ATP title of the season.
Meanwhile in Zhuhai, Alex De Minaur claimed his third title of the year with a 7-6(4) 6-4 win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
The first set saw Carreno Busta create a couple of set points in the tenth game as he was trying to grab the first break of the match.
However Bublik managed to shut him down and eventually edge the first set tiebreak 7-5 in a serving masterclass against the Spaniard.
The second set saw the world number 63 secure the only break of the match in the seventh game as he eventually got his reward for his patience and deep returning.
After winning the second set, Carreno Busta once again had chances to break at the start of the third before Bublik once again denied the Spaniard.
But the one thing Bublik couldn’t deny Carreno Busta was victory as he won seven of the ten points in the final set tiebreak to seal an emotional victory.
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After the match Carreno Busta explained to atptour.com, how much the win meant to him after having to battle injuries throughout the year, “This year was very tough for me because of the injuries at the beginning of the year,” Carreno Busta explained.
“I had [a lot of time] off the courts and it is really tough when you cannot play and enjoy this sport. It was an incredible week here in Chengdu.
“During the week I felt really comfortable on court. The surface is very fast, but I was very good with my serve during all the matches and I think it was the key to being the winner of the tournament.”
The win means it is Carreno Busta’s first ATP World Tour title since 2017, when he won the ATP 250 event in Estoril.
Meanwhile another player who had been battling injuries also claimed ATP glory as Alex De Minaur won the title in Zhuhai.
The Australian managed to defeat Adrian Mannarino in straight sets to win his third title of the season, following wins in Sydney and Atlanta.
As a result De Minaur, now overtakes Nick Kyrgios in the world rankings to become the number one Australian.
