Following Novak Djokovic’s default during the US Open fourth round, Pablo Carreno Busta is through to his second US Open quarter-final at Flushing Meadows. The World No. 27, who also reached the last eight at Roland Garros in 2017, owns a 17-6 record at the US Open and has produced his best tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on multiple occasions.
In 2017, the four-time ATP Tour titlist claimed five straight-sets victories to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the event. Carreno Busta earned back-to-back wins against Denis Shapovalov and Diego Schwartzman, before losing to eventual runner-up Kevin Anderson in the last four.
The 29-year-old has also enjoyed his best results as a doubles player at the venue. Alongside Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Carreno Busta battled through to his maiden Grand Slam doubles final in 2016 (l. to Murray/Soares). Last week, the Spaniard teamed up with Alex de Minaur to capture his maiden ATP Masters 1000 doubles title, winning five consecutive matches to claim the trophy at the relocated Western & Southern Open.
Carreno Busta will attempt to reach his second US Open semi-final when he faces seventh seed David Goffin or 12th seed Shapovalov in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. The former World No. 10 is tied at 2-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Goffin and owns three wins from four ATP Head2Head matches against Shapovalov.
ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 29-year-old.
1) He Enjoyed Huge Success At Lower Levels
From May 2011 to July 2015, Carreno Busta reached 11 finals on the ATP Challenger Tour. He won them all.
The Spaniard defeated Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista Agut in two of those championship matches to boost his position in the FedEx ATP Rankings, before his run came to an end in his 12th, and most recent, Challenger final appearance. As top seed and defending champion at the 2015 LVII Copa Sevilla, Carreno Busta lost in straight sets to Pedro Cachin.
At Futures level, Carreno Busta won seven consecutive titles in 2013 with 35 straight victories. At the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals, the Spaniard was awarded the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
2) His Idol Was Juan Carlos Ferrero
Growing up, Carreno Busta idolised former World No. 1 and countryman Juan Carlos Ferrero. The 28-year-old, who trains at the JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy in Alicante, recently shared a picture of himself and Ferrero during a trophy ceremony in 2004 on Instagram.
3) Grand Slam Success Came In 2017
Carreno Busta achieved the two best Grand Slam singles finishes of his career in 2017. At Roland Garros, the Gijon native overcame Top 15 stars Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic to reach the quarter-finals. Later in the year, at the US Open, Carreno Busta went one step further.
The 26-year-old cruised through the draw in New York, winning five consecutive matches in straight sets to advance to his first Grand Slam singles semi-final. Despite losing in four sets to Kevin Anderson, Carreno Busta cracked the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time after the tournament.
4) He Supports His Local Football Club
Carreno Busta is a fan of Spanish football club Sporting de Gijon, which finished as runner-up in the 1978-’79 La Liga season. The Spaniard posts about the Segunda (second) Division side on his social media channels and occasionally attends matches.
Como no podía ser de otra forma, aquí estamos animando al @RealSporting #puxasporting #El12DeElMolinón pic.twitter.com/xOXZzHRu5l
— Pablo Carreño (@pablocarreno91) November 19, 2017
5) He Returned To The Winners’ Circle Last Year
At the 2019 Chengdu Open, Carreno Busta ended a two-year, four-month wait to lift his fourth ATP Tour trophy.
Competing at No. 63 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the 6’2” right-hander overcame Radu Albot, Benoit Paire, Shapovalov and Cristian Garin to book a final meeting against Alexander Bublik. Carreno Busta withstood 31 aces during the championship match to earn a 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory after two hours and five minutes.
“I just tried to continue working hard because I know when you work and do as much as possible, normally you have the prize,” said Carreno Busta. “Now I am here with the trophy [after] winning my fourth ATP Tour title and for me it is the reason to continue fighting and playing this sport.”
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