11 years on the circuit, and he finally holds his hour of glory.
Pablo Carreño Busta won the best title of his career this Sunday in Montreal.
The Spaniard, 23rd in the world, won his first Masters 1000 tournament there, after overthrowing 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (10th).
“It's an incredible feeling to be a winner of a tournament of this category, reacted the 31-year-old player.
It's the best title of my career, that's for sure.
However, this is not my best season.
I lost a few games that I probably wouldn't have lost in other years.
But I just tried to keep believing in myself and in my game.”
The point PCB will be watching on repeat 🔁🤩@pablocarreno91 completes a memorable 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback to rule Montreal @OBNmontreal |
#OBN22 pic.twitter.com/jGmQvyC3po
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 14, 2022
A resurgence in form that comes in spades, two weeks before the US Open (August 29-September 11), where he reached the semi-finals twice in 2017 and 2020. For the Canada Open, his victory bears the seal of rarity, as he became the first unseeded player to win there since Argentina's Guillermo Canas in 2002.
First Masters 1000 final, and first victory
But everything was not easy against Hubert Hurkacz, who remained on five victories in as many finals disputed.
This Sunday, Hurkacz also took the lead from the start, taking advantage of his experience at this level of competition.
His opponent played for the first time in his career in a final in a Masters 1000 category tournament, which is the best after the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Clinically, the Pole pocketed the first set in half an hour.
Things then seemed to be off to a bad start for the Spaniard, but he reacted very well in the second set, considerably raising his level of play, to logically equalize at one set everywhere.
And he did not stop there, to the chagrin of Hubert Hurkacz, frustrated and without solution in the exchanges, without the slightest break point in the second and third set.
"Very magnificent in Montreal" 👌📢
Just listen to the crowd roar after this ridiculous @pablocarreno91 point @OBNmontreal |
#OBN22 pic.twitter.com/9j37kQyIHv
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 14, 2022
Winner in 1h47, Pablo Carreño Busta exulted after converting his first match point.
Before this success, his main achievement was winning the Olympic bronze medal last year in Tokyo, at the expense of Novak Djokovic.
