By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Pablo Carreno Busta dismissed Diego Schwartzman, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, sprinting into his first US Open semifinal without surrendering a set.
Photo credit: @USOpen
Streaking into the doubles alley, Pablo Carreno Busta rapped a running forehand winner down the line skidding to a stop outside the blue court as the ball splashed into the corner.
Even when operating in the shadows, the quiet Spaniard lit it up today.
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Carreno Busta crunched 30 winners dismissing a weary Diego Schwartzman, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, to burst into his first career Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open.
“Incredible,” Carreno Busta told ESPN’s Jason Goodall afterward. “Something that I always dreamed, but I never think that I can arrive here. It’s very exciting for me, semifinals in this tournament. It was a very good match today.”
In a draw that features former US Open champions Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, the 12th-seeded Spaniard is the only man still standing who has not dropped a set.
Though that clean run comes with a caveat. He is the first man to defeat four qualifiers en route to a Grand Slam semifinal.
At this point, who cares?
It’s not how the Indian Wells semifinalist arrived that matters now, but the fact he’s one win away from his first Grand Slam final in his 16th major appearance.
Prior to this 2017 season, Carreno Busta failed to survive the second round in 11 of 13 Grand Slam starts.
The 26-year-old Spaniard has gone 9-1 in his last two majors following up his breakthrough run to the Roland Garros quarterfinals with a Flushing Meadows final four appearance.
Now, Carreno Busta awaits either explosive American Sam Querrey or big-serving South African Kevin Anderson for a place in the final. The 19th-ranked Spaniard has yet to face 21st-ranked Querrey. The 31-year-old Anderson has won both meetings with Carreno Busta including a 6-3, 7-6 (6) decision in Montreal last month.
New York was the launching pad for his major aspirations—Carreno Busta partnered Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to the US Open doubles final last year and that experience on Arthur Ashe Stadium helped prepare him for the big stage today.
Carreno Busta managed potential crisis moments calmly.
Twice, Carreno Busta battled back from triple break point holes to hold serve and even produced a volley winner with a broken string. He denied eight of 10 break points, while converting six of his eight break-point chances.
In contrast, the 5-foot-7 Schwartzman was banged up and a bit depleted.
Pained by a strained groin, Schwartzman survived a draining fourth-round win over Lucas Pouille that came after he toppled 2014 champion Marin Cilic in a grueling four-setter. Though the feisty Schwartzman pronounced himself physically fine for his first major quarterfinal, nerves were another story.
The tight Argentine couldn’t find the court in the opening game, slapping a backhand into the middle of the net to donate the break at love.
Carreno Busta confirmed the break at love.
Schwartzman earned his first break point in the sixth game, but Carreno Busta wiped it away for 4-2. That lost opportunity lingered as Schwartzman set a backhand long dropping serve for the second time in the set.
Serving for the set, Carreno Busta felt the jitters clanking his first double fault to give back the break in the eighth game.
On his second attempt to serve it on, the 12th-seeded Spaniard attacked behind a forehand to seize the 38-minute opener.
The pair exchanged breaks in the third and fourth games.
Then momentum took a complete U-Turn as Carreno Busta clawed out of a triple break point hole holding for 4-all.
Still ruing lost opportunity Schwartzman double faulted to face a couple of break points.
The break came with a break as Carreno Busta busted a string in his Wilson racquet yet still managed to guide a volley into the corner breaking for 5-4.
Carreno Busta played critical points with more care, while Schwartzman was his own worst enemy at times. The vertically-challenged Argentine double faulted away the break in the opening game of the third set.
Staring down another triple break point deficit in the fourth game, the resourceful Spaniard stood tall again, erasing all three break points holding for 3-1. By then, Carreno Busta had denied eight of 10 break points.
Challenging the Argentine’s forehand with depth and pace, Carreno Busta banged out a second break for 5-2. He closed in a minute shy of two hours giving a heart-felt fist pump to his support box.
Rafael Nadal was a role model for Carreno Busta earlier in his career.
Advancing to his first Grand Slam semifinal infused the Barcelona baseliner with a major dream: Face Nadal in an all-Spanish US Open final.
“(It would be) fantastic to play against him in the final,” Carreno Busta said. “We have to play semifinals and he has to win the quarterfinals and semifinals so we go step by step.”