MADRID, 23 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Roberto Bautista has said goodbye to the Australian Open, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season, after losing this Monday in his round of 16 match against the American Tommy Paul (6-2, 4-6, 6- 2, 7-5), a result that leaves the ‘big’ ocean without representation of the ‘Armada’.
The man from Castellón, number 25 in the world and who had eliminated the British Andy Murray in the second round, had to row against the current at the Margaret Court Arena after the North American broke his serve in the very long opening game.
Again, Paul signed another break in the fifth game and although the Spaniard had up to six chances to break his opponent’s serve in the last one, he solved the problem on his first opportunity.
Despite this and going 2-3 against at the beginning of the second set, Bautista responded with authority and managed to tie the duel with two ‘breaks’ that offered him hope for the third set, but Paul ended them by preventing break again
The world number 35 won the third set thanks to two breaks and the fourth with one, to guarantee, after three hours and 22 minutes of play, the pass to his first quarterfinals of a ‘Grand Slam’.
His rival will also be the American Ben Shelton, who confirmed his status as a ‘revelation’ of the ‘great’ oceanic after beating his compatriot J.J. Wolf (6-7(5), 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-2) in three hours and 47 minutes.
In his second main draw of a ‘Grand Slam’, the 20-year-old, number 89 in the ATP ranking, saved the two ‘break points’ he faced during the match, broke his rival’s serve four times, he won 22 more points than him and hit 64 game-winners -23 direct aces-. Thus, he becomes the first American man to reach the quarterfinals of a ‘major’ before turning 21 since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon 2003.