Roberto Bautista has for a long time the packaging of great players, the one that allows him to solve difficult games like this Tuesday against Karen Khachanov at the Masters 1,000 in Cincinnati. The Spaniard from Castellón pulled off gallons and experience to come back (4-6, 6-3 and 6-2) against the 24-year-old Russian and 16th in the world, who won the first set but later could not stop the attacks or break the solidity of the 12th in the ranking, a 32-year veteran who has gotten the hang of it. It is the fifth time he has beaten him in seven games. Last year, without going any further, he got off Wimbledon. Bautista, the black beast of this boy from NextGen, will face this Wednesday a compatriot of his latest victim, the current tournament champion Daniil Medvedev, who was intractable against Bedene (double 6-3 without a single break point against).
Roberto did not start well against a rival who failed little and forced him a lot. And that the Spanish had a breaking ball in the second game that would have put him at a clear advantage. But it was he who lost his serve in the fifth and although in the tenth he had another two break points, the set escaped him.
From the second set came the best moments of the solid Bautista game, who despairs his opponents with his skill and positioning. Thus, with the shield of his Villarreal pushing on his right arm and a break to make it 2-0, he stopped Khachanov's comeback attempts and equalized the game. The third set was already easier against a tired opponent, who fell apart and stopped hitting. In fact, he conceded a break at the first change and then another for a 4-1 that he could no longer lift. This is how Rober returned to the quarters of the Western & Southern Open for the second consecutive year, the seventh of Masters 1,000 that he has reached. A great challenge awaits him, but he has already been a Wimbledon semifinalist and has tables and categories to overcome it.
Results of the day.