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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.

Richard Evans
3 min read
January 22, 2019 - 11:20AM
Pablo Carreno Busta prepares takes out his frustration on his bag. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Pablo Carreno Busta prepares takes out his frustration on his bag. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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.

Pablo Carreno Busta argues with the umpire. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Pablo Carreno Busta argues with the umpire. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The Spaniard couldn’t keep his head. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The Spaniard couldn’t keep his head. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

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?”

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.”

Busta prepares takes out his frustration on his bag. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Busta prepares takes out his frustration on his bag. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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.

It’s not the usual way to end a tennis match. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
It’s not the usual way to end a tennis match. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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.

Kei Nishikori took advantage of his opponent’s meltdown. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Kei Nishikori took advantage of his opponent’s meltdown. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

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.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tennis/spanish-star-pablo-carreno-busta-blows-up-as-kei-nishikori-moves-in-quarters/news-story/fd45884f936a5f3fe3ed532101bf2e05