ATP Cup: Spain seal semi-finals spot after victory over Serbia
Jan 05, 2022
Sydney [Australia], January 5 : Pablo Carreno Busta earned his third consecutive win of the season on Wednesday, overcoming Serbia's Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4 to book Spain's place in the semi-finals at ATP Cup in Sydney.
Following Chile's victory over Norway, Spain needed just one win in its final Group A tie against 2020 champion Serbia to secure a place in the semi-finals, where it will play Poland.
In the No. 2 singles match, Carreno Busta, who defeated Alejandro Tabilo and Viktor Durasovic earlier this week, played aggressively against Krajinovic, firing 30 winners and breaking three times to triumph after 80 minutes.
"It was the best match of the group," Carreno Busta said in his on-court interview. "I am close to 100 per cent. Today I played very well, very aggressively, very solid. I feel very comfortable on court, so it is going well."
In a dominant performance, Carreno Busta stepped inside the baseline and demonstrated great footwork to dictate with his forehand on Ken Rosewall Arena to improve his ATP Head2Head series record against Krajanovic to 2-1.
In the second match of the tie, Roberto Bautista Agut laid down a marker, moving past Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-4 to give Spain a 2-0 victory against Serbia.
The World No. 19, who is making his third ATP Cup appearance, won 90 per cent (28/31) of his first-serve points and played consistently from the baseline to triumph after 84 minutes. With his victory, Bautista Agut has maintained his perfect record against Lajovic, extending his lead in their ATP Head2Head series to 5-0.
"The humidity on the court was very tough and we needed some matches coming from Europe," Bautista Agut added. "I am really happy I have won three matches and that Spain is in the semi-finals."
Spain has dropped just one set at the 16-team event this week en route to the last four in Sydney.
