Pablo Carreno Busta has another reason to love Montreal.
After winning his first Masters 1000 crown at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers two years ago, the Spaniard picked up the first ATP victory on Tuesday night since returning from elbow surgery and his first win on Tour in well over a year.
Oh, and it couldn’t have been much more dramatic. Carreno Busta came from a set and 5-2 down and saved two match points to beat Fabian Maroszan under the lights on Court Rogers, 6-7(8), 7-6(6), 6-3.
“When I finished the first set, well, it was very difficult for me,” Carreno Busta told NationalBankOpen.com. “I was a long time away from the courts because of the injury. My coach told me, ‘Try to enjoy. It’s very important to continue on court as much time as possible.’ I tried to do this, and well, I was two breaks down in the second and saved some match points. And I came back. It was unbelievable.”
Both match points he fended off came during the Hungarian’s service game at 2-5. Carreno Busta hit a crosscourt forehand winner to save the first one and benefited from a Marozsan forehand error to save the second. The Spaniard coughed up a lead of his own from 4-0 up in the second set tiebreak, but rallied just in time and Maroszan couldn’t recover in the third.
While the flat-hitting Maroszan tallied more winners than Carreno Busta (35 to 30), he also committed 26 more unforced errors (60 to 34).
Not since the 2023 Australian Open had Carreno Busta won a match on the ATP Tour.
“It’s very special because I have really good memories here in Montreal,” said Carreno Busta, who is using a protected ranking to play this week. “So, to come back here and win my first ATP match after a long, long time, yes, it’s very special and important for my confidence also.”
What is it about Montreal that brings out the best in him?
“I don’t know,” he laughed. “I feel really comfortable on these courts. They are not too slow; they are not too fast. I think it’s a very good surface for me.”
Besides his title here two years ago, Carreno Busta’s impressive resume includes being ranked in the Top 10, reaching two US Open semi-finals and earning a bronze medal in singles at the Tokyo Olympics.
