Winston-Salem Open 2016: Saturday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Draw Schedule
Pablo Carreno Busta won his first career ATP singles title Saturday at the Winston-Salem Open, upsetting Spanish countryman Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-4.ย
In addition toย Carreno Busta'sย victory, the team of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Henri Kontinen defeated Andre Begemann and Leander Paes in a three-set thriller to take the men's doubles title.
Here is a breakdown of Saturday's scores from both draws:
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| Men's Singles | Final | (16) Pablo Carreno Busta | (2) Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-4 |
| Men's Doubles | Final | Guillermo Garcia-Lopez/Henri Kontinen | Andre Begemann/Leander Paes | 4-6, 7-6(6), 10-8 |
Following Carreno Busta's surprising triumph, Stroppa Del tweeted a photo of him hoisting the championship trophy at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
"Carreno Busta with his Winston Salem trophy pic.twitter.com/eTOZLsLvXv
โ Stroppa Del (@stroppadel) August 27, 2016"
By virtue of his win, the 25-year-old Spaniard is also in line to achieve the best singles ranking of his professional career, according to Jose Morgado ofย Diario Record:
Carreno Busta and Bautista Agut proved to be evenly matched through the first two sets, as both went to a tiebreak.
While neither player was in ideal form, Andrew Eccles of The Changeover pointed out that each of them dug deep and battled throughout the lengthy match:
"If you're wondering, final between Carreno Busta & Bautista Agut is just a total grind. Even as a viewer. It's a grind. #WinstonSalemOpen
โ Andrew Eccles (@BackSwings) August 27, 2016"
It may not have occurred in the prettiest fashion, but Carreno Busta managed to take the second-set tiebreak in fairly dominant fashion to force a third set.
Despite that, the second-seeded Bautista Agut was still heavily favored to win the match due to his success in decisive sets in comparison to Carreno Busta's struggles, per ATP Media Info:
The final set came down to a crucial break of serve by Carreno Busta, who managed to hold serve in his own right and score his maiden ATP victory despite being seeded just 16th in the tournament.
While there wasn't much separating Carreno Busta and Bautista Agut, the former set himself apart with great second serves and fewer mistakes than his opponent, as seen in this graphic courtesy of TennisTV:
Carreno Busta has long been viewed as a clay-court specialist, so his first win coming on a hard court was unexpected.
With the U.S. Open on the horizon, Carreno Busta suddenly looks like something of a dark horse to do some damage in New York.
His portion of the draw is ripe for an underdog to make a run, and if he continues the level of play he achieved in Winston-Salem, that may work to his benefit.
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