Cuevas Rules In Brazil

Pablo Cuevas successfully defended his Brasil Open title with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta in the final on Sunday. The 30 year old earned his fifth tour-level title and second in as many weeks after winning the Rio Open seven days ago. He is now 5-1 in ATP World Tour final appearances, all on clay courts.

The Uruguayan only dropped serve once and converted three break point chances (3/5) during the 85-minute encounter. His second Sao Paulo title match was a breeze compared to last year’s final, when he broke back down 4-5 in the final set and saw off Luca Vanni 7-6 in the deciding tie-break.

Cuevas is on a nine-match winning streak and improved to 11-1 on clay in 2016. He received 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $77,600. Carreno Busta, a first-time finalist at tour-level, earned 150 points and $40,870.