Carreno Busta Explains Once-In-A-Lifetime Australian Open Moment

Pablo Carreño Busta needed four hours and 10 minutes to overcome Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 and seal his ticket to the third round of the Australian Open for the sixth year on the trot.

During his epic five-set victory, there was one moment that stood out above the rest. The point gave him a break at 6-3, 6-7(6), 4-3. The clock showed two hours and 21 minutes had been played when the Spaniard produced a moment of magic.

“I’ve watched it back, it was strange,” Carreno Busta admitted. “It was an important point. I think I made a good return, he serve-volleyed and hit a really good volley.

“I did my best to reach for it and hit a lob, and I think the wind made it really difficult to return, he hit it more or less. He was lucky the ball went in.”

In response, Carreño Busta relied on his lightning-quick reactions and dug deep into his reserves of talent. He had fractions of a second to react to the mishit ball that had so much spin on it that it bounced back over the net towards his opponent’s court. The Spaniard bolted forward.

“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,” Carreno Busta said. “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 racquet it normally does.”

And that is exactly what happened. There was only one thing he could do and he executed it to perfection.

“I was lucky that it was on the side of the court and not in the middle, because otherwise I would have had to jump over the net and I’m not [Gael] Monfils, so I was watching the ball and the net,” Carreno Busta said. “It was difficult, but once I dodged the net I had time to hit it into the court, which did the job.”

Did You Know?
Carreño Busta will be bidding for his 50th Grand Slam win in the third round of the Australian Open against American Sebastian Korda. His current record in the majors is 49-31.