Bautista takes revenge on Gasquet and Carreño collapses

Roberto Bautista began his participation in the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 with victory and did so against Richard Gasquet, who had been his executioner last year in the quarterfinals of the tournament. After a hesitant start, in which he had to raise a break against, the Castellón commanded with his usual solidity until winning by 7-5 and 6-1 the French, whom he now dominates 6-2 in his private duels. In eighths, Bautista they will face a rival who is also good at (4-2), Karen Kachanov. The Russian got off in the second round to another Spaniard from Western & Southern, Pablo Carreño (7-6 (8) and 6-1).

The game did not start well for a Bautista lacking rhythm who had a hard time adjusting to Gasquet's unorthodox game. The Frenchman scored a break in the third game and consolidated it. The world number 12 patiently waited for his moment and regained the disadvantage with breaks in the sixth and the final twelfth. In full swing (he won seven games in a row), Roberto put the direct and no longer gave his well-known opponent a chance, who threw in the towel when he found himself with a devastating 5-0 against in the second set.

Carreño collapses before Khachanov

Pablo Carreño did not have his day this Monday in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 against Karen Khachanov (7-6 (8) and 6-1), a rival that has been choking him since he beat him in their first two games in 2017. It was not an easy duel, far from it, for such an early phase of the tournament.

In the 2018 Canadian Masters, the Russian already caught the trick with Pablo and this time he did it again, and that he had the first round almost lost. And it is that Carreño enjoyed two set points in the tiebreaker, wasted them and after completely deflated, affected by a mixture of discouragement and heat.

The second set was a walk for Khachanov, who has progressed since those first encounters against the Gijon. He has been top-10, like Pablo, and is now 16th in the world and with greater continuity than his opponent, who was prevented from performing at his best last year by injuries. Karen started with a 3-0, with the first break points of the match (there were none in the first set), to which a Carreño without energy could no longer respond and He will face this Tuesday in the round of 16 the French Richard Gasquet or another tennis player from the Navy, Roberto Bautista, an enemy who is not good at it.