Rio Open 2016: Pablo Cuevas vs. Guido Pella Final Score and Reaction
Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas capped a remarkable weeklong run to claim the Rio Open title Sunday with a thrilling 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory over Argentina's Guido Pella in the final.
It marked Cuevas’ fourth career ATP singles title—all on clay—and first in nearly a year.
Here is a look at the trophy presentation for the world No. 45, courtesy of TennisTV:
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After a three-hour rain delay, Cuevas and Pella were tied at 3-3 in the first set before the eventual champion pulled away for a 6-4 win. Pella responded in a back-and-forth second set, forcing a tiebreak, which he won 7-5 to set the stage for a do-or-die third set.
The two tangled to a 3-3 tie in the final set, remaining on serve until the 10th game. Cuevas then pulled away to win the marathon match that lasted two hours, 16 minutes.
Cuevas dished out 14 aces and 29 winners while converting on two of three break chances. Here is a look at the match stats, per TennisTV:
Cuevas remained efficient on his serves throughout and responded during rallies by Pella. The two had tangled twice before, with Pella cruising to a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win in last year’s Uruguay Open. Cuevas ousted Pella in Ecuador the year prior.
But they had never been pitted against each other in a match this late in a tournament. It marked the first 500-series final between unseeded players since the 2011 Valencia Open, according to ATPWorldTour.com, and for Pella, it marked his first final ever.
On Saturday, Cuevas pulled off a remarkable upset over 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal to set the stage for Sunday's final. On Sunday, Cuevas and his Argentinian counterpart gave the tennis world a show to cap off a week that was plagued by swampy weather in Brazil.
Post-Match Reaction
Cuevas admitted he may have created a final round fans weren't hoping for with his upset of Nadal.
"I know people were expecting Nadal, but I'm glad you cheered for me," Cuevas said, per the AFP (h/t Indian 24 News). "I hope everybody in Uruguay enjoyed it."
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