Carreno Busta Rallies To Give Spain Early Lead
Pablo Carreno Busta rallied from sluggish starts in both sets against Alejandro Tabilo to give Spain an early 1-0 lead over Chile on Day 1 of the ATP Cup in Sydney Saturday.
The former Top 10 Spaniard used his experience to rally from 0-3 in both sets to claim a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over the left-handed World No. 139 Tabilo, who last year played just six tour-level matches (2-4 record).
“It was very difficult at the beginning of the match because he was playing unbelievable,” Carreno Busta said. “I was fighting all the time… and I ended up playing much better than I started.”
Carreno Busta, 30, who defeated Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev en route to the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal last year, claimed his 231st career win today. That stands in stark contrast to 24-year-old Tabilo’s five tour-level wins.
The victory leaves Roberto Bautista Agut with the opportunity to clinch the Tie for 2020 finalist Spain when he plays Cristian Garin in the No. 1 singles.
The ATP Cup format sees the No. 2 singles played first, followed by the No. 1 singles and doubles.