2020 in Review: Pablo Carreno Busta edges Denis Shapovalov in a thriller

The 20th seed Pablo Carreno Busta reached his second US Open semi-final in four years, ousting Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 0-6, 6-3 after four hours and eight minutes! Thus, Pablo became the fifth player born in the 90s with multiple Major semi-finals after Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev, overcoming the second-set bagel to prevail in the decider. Thanks to that fourth set, Denis won eight points more than his opponent, firing 76 winners and errors and leaving Carreno Busta on a reduced 33-42 ratio. The Canadian grabbed eight breaks from 16 opportunities, giving serve five times from 21 chances offered to the Spaniard and finishing his journey in the quarters, mainly thanks to those two tie breaks he lost. It was a solid encounter with many fantastic winners on both sides. Denis had the upper hand in the rallies, scoring winners and errors and just coming short in the decisive moments of sets two and three.

He had the momentum ahead of the decider, but the more experienced player bounced back to serve well, delivering one break that propelled him over the top. The match kicked off with two breaks before Shapovalov dropped three points in the final four service games. The pressure was on Carreno Busta, and he couldn't endure it, fending off two break chances in game six before Denis grabbed a break at 4-3 after stellar winners from both wings. The youngster closed the set with a hold at 30 for 6-3 after 36 minutes, gathering a boost ahead set number two.

Pablo Carreno Busta prevailed over Denis Shapovalov at the US Open.

It saw four breaks in the first five games, two on each side, with Carreno Busta as the better player in the remaining games, serving well and pushing Shapovalov to the limits. The Canadian had to dig deep in game eight, repelling four break chances to remain on the positive side and saving a set point at 4-5 with a brave attack that kept him in contention until the tie break.

It was a tight one, and Pablo grabbed it 7-5 with a single mini-break in the sixth point, landing an ace at 6-5 to level the overall score after an hour and 52 minutes. The second set lasted for almost 80 minutes, and the third proved to be a lengthy one as well, passing an hour mark for more drama. After four good holds, Carreno Busta moved in front with a break in game five, forging a 4-2 advantage and wasting a break point for a 5-2 lead. Denis remained in touch and pulled the break back in game eight, surviving another tight service game at 5-5 to reach the second tie break.

The more experienced player had the upper hand again, rattling off the last four points from 3-4 and painting a forehand down the line winner for two sets to one advantage after precisely three hours. With no room for errors, Shapovalov won all 12 points on serve in the fourth set. The Canadian achieved three breaks of serve for a bagel, the first in the US Open quarter-finals since 2018 and that epic clash between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem. They stayed neck and neck in the decider's first five games before Shapovalov cracked under pressure, hitting a double fault to push the rival 4-2 in front. The Spaniard held at 15 to open a 5-2 gap and produced a hold at love at 5-3 to seal the deal and set the semi-final clash against Alexander Zverev. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3rxtC9Q