Maxime Cressy cracked a return and rushed the net against Pablo Carreno Busta, forcing a backhand passing shot error from the ninth-seeded Spaniard on the final point of their first-round US Open clash Tuesday. The 24-year-old American put his arms up in jubilation as the fans in the packed stands surrounding Court 4 rose in unison to celebrate their man’s first-round US Open victory. Less than 50 feet away, Carreno Busta smashed his racquet in frustration.
It was a thrilling triumph for Cressy and a heartbreaking defeat for Carreno Busta. After saving four match points in the deciding tie-break, it was the home favorite who advanced 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(7) in three hours and 35 minutes behind his daring serve-and-volley game. The qualifier saved three of the four match points with impressive volleys under intense pressure.
"I just told myself to focus on holding my serve efficiently. I could tell he was starting to get a little nervous and I kept at it," said Cressy, who hit 44 aces. "In the fifth set he did not give me anything.
"The crowd helped me out big time. It would have been very difficult without them and I was very grateful they were behind me the whole time."
Carreno Busta is a two-time US Open semi-finalist who arrived in New York with momentum after winning the singles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. But he was unable to hold off Cressy, the No. 151 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, who is through to the second round at Flushing Meadows for the second consecutive year. The American will next play Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who advanced when #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda retired in the second set of their match due to a medical reason.
That was not the only thrilling fifth-set tie-break of the early evening at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Andreas Seppi, a 37-year-old Italian playing the US Open for the 18th consecutive year, outlasted Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(13) after four hours and four minutes.
Seppi saved five match points in his final-set tie-break and let slip four chances of his own to close out the match. But finally, the World No. 89 completed his victory by putting away an overhead off a lob that lingered in the air for what felt like eternity. The Italian will next play Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz, who eliminated Belarusian Egor Gerasimov 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
In another five-set thriller, Australian Jordan Thompson battled past Italian Gianluca Mager 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3) after three hours and 30 minutes to earn a second-round match against 21st seed Aslan Karatsev, this year’s Australian Open semi-finalist, who beat Spaniard Jaume Munar 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3jwu1re
No comments:
Post a Comment