Carreno Busta Clinches Maiden ATP World Tour Title
Carreno Busta Clinches Maiden ATP World Tour Title
Spaniard fights off countryman to win in his third final
Pablo Carreno Busta overcame countryman Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-4 to win his first ATP World Tour singles title on Saturday at the Winston-Salem Open.
The 25 year old, who was playing in the third singles final of his career, had been unable to clinch his maiden title earlier this season on both the clay of Estoril and Sao Paulo. But on the hard courts in Winston-Salem, the Barcelona resident rallied after losing the first set to hoist his first championship trophy after two hours and 33 minutes on court.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I worked very hard to be here and now I have to enjoy this moment,” Carreno Busta said. “To [beat] Roberto you have to fight because he’s a really tough player. He’s a Spanish player like me. It’s not easy to play against another Spanish player.”
Carreno Busta, seeded 16th, is the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season. Players trying to win their first title are now 6-11 this year.
2016 First-Time ATP World Tour Winners
| Player | Age | Tournament |
| Nick Kyrgios | 20 | Marseille |
| Diego Schwartzman | 23 | Istanbul |
| Steve Johnson | 26 | Nottingham |
| Albert Ramos-Vinolas | 28 | Bastad |
| Paolo Lorenzi | 34 | Kitzbuhel |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | 25 | Winston-Salem |
Second seed Bautista Agut was trying to win his third title of the season (Sofia, Auckland). The World No. 17 was up a break in the second set but Carreno Busta was able to break right back to get to 3-all. Bautista Agut struggled in the second-set tie-break, hitting two double faults and all of a sudden the match was tied.
“I had many chances to get closer to the win today but I didn’t [take] the chances,” Bautista Agut said. “I didn’t play well when I was set and break up. Tennis is like this, no? When you have the chance and you don’t [take] it, then you lose.”
In the third, Carreno Busta relentlessly attacked his countryman’s backhand, not letting Bautista Agut run around his backhand to smack a forehand. The strategy worked as Carreno Busta broke at 3-2 and didn’t face a break point in the third set. He struck an ace on his first match point.
Carreno Busta will receive 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $85,625. Bautista Agut will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $48,750.
Bautista Agut said he still felt good about the week in Winston-Salem. He accepted a late wild card into the tournament.
“I came here to play some matches,” he said. “So it was a positive week for me.”