Winston-Salem Open 2016: Friday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Draw Schedule
The 2016 Winston-Salem Open rolled on with two semifinal matches Friday. The winners, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta, will square off for the title Saturday before the U.S. Open begins next week.
This tournament has traditionally served as a stepping-stone event for players who are looking to build momentum and keep their games on point heading into the year's final Grand Slam event. While many of the game's top stars opted to skip the tournament, some of the sport's unheralded players have had a chance to shine.
Here are the results from Friday's matches as well as a recap of the action in North Carolina:
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| No. 2 Roberto Bautista Agut vs. No. 9 Viktor Troicki | Bautista | 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-2 |
| No. 16 Pablo Carreno Busta vs. John Millman | Carreno | 6-4, 7-6 (5) |
Final Schedule
| Saturday, Aug. 27 | No. 2 Roberto Bautista Agut vs. No. 16 Pablo Carreno Busta | 2 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Roberto Bautista Agut Def. Viktor Troicki
Bautista, the tournament's No. 2 seed, was able to avoid an upset against Viktor Troicki, earning a 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory to secure his spot in the final.
It wasn't until the third set that Bautista managed to put some distance between himself and Troicki. He narrowly avoided going to a tiebreaker in the first set, was upended by a tiebreaker in the second set and finally won the third set 6-2.
Per Fabio Valente of Spazio Tennis, the victory also helped Bautista reach a personal milestone:
This has been a good two-week stretch for Bautista. He made it to the quarterfinals at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro before losing to Juan Martin del Potro. The 28-year-old was a late entry into the field as a wild card.
The win puts Bautista in a tournament final for the third time this year. He's been money when reaching the final, claiming titles at the ASB Classic and Garanti Koza Sofia Open.
Bautista will be the No. 15 seed at the U.S. Open, and one more win at the Winston-Salem Open could give him the confidence to get past the fourth round in New York for the first time in his career.
Pablo Carreno Busta Def. John Millman
In a thrilling nightcap, Carreno knocked off John Millman in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
TennisTV captured an image of Carreno after his victory:
The straight-sets win was misleading, as the match was closer than that. Millman was leading the second set 4-3 and held a small advantage in the tiebreaker, but he was never able to put his opponent away.
Carreno was sloppier than Millman. The Spain native had five aces and three double-faults, compared to Millman's seven aces and one double-fault.
Sometimes, though, sports can be cruel.
The 25-year-old Carreno is still seeking his first win on the ATP Tour. He has made two appearances in tournament finals this year, losing to Pablo Cuevas at the Brazil Open and Nicolas Almagro at the Estoril Open.
Bautista and Carreno have met four times in their careers. Carreno has lost three of those matches, though they haven't squared off since the 2015 U.S. Open.
There are moments in every athlete's career that come to define them. Carreno may never be a superstar, but he has an opportunity to get some payback against Bautista in addition to ending his quest for a singles title.
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