You have got to win small to win big. Pablo Carreno Busta is enjoying a breakout season, boasting a career-best Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 17 this week, following his strong run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals. For good measure, he is also ranked No. 18 in doubles, which is only one spot off his career best that he achieved in January after reaching the Australian Open doubles semi-finals. His climb up the Emirates ATP Rankings very much mirrors his playing style – patient and steady. Carreno Busta has been ranked in the Top 100 in singles for 201 consecutive weeks since 5 August 2013. This is his sixth week in the coveted Top 20. [ALSO LIKE] But just how...
The breakthrough stretch of Pablo Carreno Busta's career reached another high on Sunday at Roland Garros. Playing in his first fourth-round match at a Grand Slam, the 25-year-old Spaniard knocked out fifth seed Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4, 8-6 to advance to his first Grand Slam quarter-final. Carreno Busta battled the 26-year-old Canadian for more than four hours and needed seven match points, but the Spaniard eventually prevailed to celebrate his first win against a Top 10 player. He had been 0-16 and had lost all five prior match-ups against Top 10 players at Grand Slams. “It's difficult to explain my emotions at the end of the match. It was the best victory of my career. Maybe one of...
Grigor Dimitrov turned in a sublime start to his Roland Garros campaign on Sunday, streaking past Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in just one hour and 49 minutes. The 11th seed fired 35 winners, including eight aces, to dispatch Robert. He was a perfect six-for-six converting break points and turned aside eight of 10 faced. A two-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year, in Brisbane and Sofia, Dimitrov is looking to return to top form in the French capital after suffering early clay-court exits at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Rome. "I'm so happy," Dimitrov said. "It's good. It's always good to win that first match, especially at any Slam, but here...
Pablo Carreno Busta commanded the field at the Millennium Estoril Open to move up three positions in the Emirates ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 18. The Spaniard secured his first ATP World Tour title on clay with a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over third seed Gilles Muller. Carreno Busta, also runner-up this February in Rio de Janeiro (l. Thiem), lifted the trophy without dropping a set. Read Estoril Final Report In Istanbul, Marin Cilic tasted victory on clay for the first time in five years to jump one place to No. 7. A 7-6(3), 6-3 triumph over Milos Raonic earned him the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title. The Croatian navigated past Top 50 players Steve Darcis and Diego Schwartzman...
