Pablo Carreño Busta isn’t one of the favorites in the Australian Open. He isn’t even the best Spaniard on the men’s draw; that distinction belongs to living legend Rafael Nadal. Yet, he wound up hogging headlines Down Under because of a single moment in his second-round match yesterday. At one set all and tied six games into the third set, he found himself needing to execute a remarkable return in order to gain a break of serve. That he did speaks volumes about his unique combination of talent, speed, and anticipation, not to mention make the most of the opportunity before him.
Indeed, Carreño Busta could have simply given up on the point. Opponent Tallon Griekspoor hit an overhead smash, albeit with the racket frame, resulting in the ball barely going over the net, and slowly. Moreover, the errant shot produced such English that the ball reversed direction and traveled back over the net anew. As he himself pointed out in the aftermath, “I tried to run because I could see that it might go in and that it would be difficult for me. I actually had a lot of time because the ball went very high and bounced close to the net. As I was running, I could see that it would bounce back, because when you hit a smash like that with the frame of the racket, it normally does.”
As thing turned out, Carreño Busta produced a highlight-reel return that required him make sure he did not hit the net as he ran past it to flick the ball in play. In hindsight, it proved to be the turning point in the five-set triumph. He noted that he was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time; “otherwise, I would have had to jump over the net,” he said, “and I’m not [Gael] Monfils.”
Whether Carreño Busta can improve on his third-round showings in the last two years remains to be seen. Up next is Sebastian Korda, whom he will meet for the first time in his career. And while he’s favored against the unseeded competition, there is, as his immediate past experience highlighted, luck to be considered. In any case, he will always have The Shot.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
