Spanish star Pablo Carreno Busta blows up as Kei Nishikori moves into quarters
Pablo Carreno Busta was booed off court after an epic meltdown which began with him hurling his bag and screaming at the umpire and ended with the Spaniard in near tears.
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Pablo Carreno Busta was close to tears in a post-match press conference as he said a controversial point which went against him in a final set tie-break cost him the match and should have been replayed.
The match was five hours long when Carreno Busta, who had earlier held a two set lead against eighth seed Kei Nishikori, played a shot that just dropped over the net before Nishikori - ignoring an incorrect call of out - played a winner.
Rather than replaying the point, which occurred with the Spaniard 8-5 up and just two points from victory, Australian umpire Thomas Sweeney awarded the point to Nishikori to make it 8-6.
Crucial time for a crucial call, and Carreno Busta is NOT HAPPY about this.
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 21, 2019
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/9yBwzk2qyQ
FOLLOW LIVE: https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD #9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/o3OuXJlQgB
Carreno Busta did not win a further point.
“Obviously I’m very sad because after five hours fighting, after five hours match, the way that I leave from the court wasn’t correct,” he said.
“But it’s tough to leave the Australian Open like this, because I think that I played really good. I play an unbelievable match. Also Kei, he play really good, and that’s sad to leave like this.
“I don’t need to watch the repeat, the replay of the point, because I know clearly that the line umpire calls out. Then Nishikori make a winner. Obviously the point for Nishikori was so we see. But sometimes the line umpires make mistakes, and that’s the game, no?”
Rules are rules, you can't bend them! That horrendous call by the chair umpire has robbed Carreno Busta of 4 points lead, should have been 9-5! #AustralianOpen2019 pic.twitter.com/63tuwT8FQO
— kristoffer de dios (@dedioskristoff) January 21, 2019
This is NOT how Pablo Carrena Busta wanted to exit the Australian Open.
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 21, 2019
We've never seen anything like this.#AusOpen #9WWOS pic.twitter.com/Svp4t40HoP
There was no question the point should have been replayed he said.
“I know that’s bad luck for him in this case, because he has easy shot, but if the umpire did a mistake, the point, you have to repeat it.”
Refocusing proved impossible he said.
“He (Kei) plays good in this moment. Maybe I distract a little bit, but I just try to continue doing my best.”
Nishikori was unsympathetic to his opponent’s emotional torture.
“That was an important point, too, but you should ask how I came back from two sets down. That was only one point,” he said.
“I mean, maybe affect him, but he took some time and maybe it could affect me. I’m really glad how I came back. I don’t even know how I come back but very happy to win today.”
The Japanese player, who will face world number one Novak Djokovic next, must have been sure he’d blown his chance earlier on.
A hot favourite to despatch Carreno Busta - Nishikori won the Brisbane tournament this month - the Japanese player was the more aggressive initially, breaking serve twice in the opening three service games. Yet he could not impose himself as the game moved back and forth, any inclination to come to the net and finish a point almost wholly alien to both men.
As an advert for men’s tennis it was the consummate antidote to the previous night’s attacking epic between the king and the usurper, Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitisipas.
And that was just the first set, a long 76 minutes.
That said, both men performed well throughout but thrills and spills didn’t play a part until the drama of the very end. They’re too alike, these foes, and don’t really make mistakes.
Three drawn out games in and had the umpire called for a best of three, rather than five, sets, opposition would have been meagre despite the hefty price tag that comes with any Margaret Court Arena ticket in the second week.
As an advert for men’s tennis it was the consummate antidote to the previous night’s attacking epic between the king and the usurper, Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitisipas.
And that was just the first set, a long 76 minutes.
As an advert for men’s tennis it was the consummate antidote to the previous night’s attacking epic between the king and the usurper, Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitisipas.
And that was just the first set, a long 76 minutes.
Don't get in his way...
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 21, 2019
WATCH LIVE: @Channel9
FOLLOW LIVE: https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD #9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/dACe6SNSC4
That said, both men performed well throughout but thrills and spills didn’t play a part until the drama of the very end. They’re too alike, these foes, and don’t really make mistakes. Three drawn out games in and had the umpire called for a best of three, rather than five, sets, opposition would have been meagre despite the hefty price tag that comes with any Margaret Court Arena ticket in the second week.
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Originally published as Spanish star Pablo Carreno Busta blows up as Kei Nishikori moves into quarters
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