Munar beats Carreño in a fantastic Spanish derby

James Munar and Pablo Carreno played this Sunday on court 5 of Indian Wells one of the Spanish derbies that can be seen these days in the tournament (For Monday there is an Alcaraz-Bautista and a Badosa-Sorribes, this one in the WTA 1,000). The Mallorcan imposed his hunger, his enthusiasm and his improvement against the best ranking (16th), the punch and the positive dynamics in the hard court tournaments of the Gijon. After coming back and saving two match points, they won 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in 2h58. The match was sensational, with exchanges of the highest level, especially in the last two sets. A sign that Navy tennis, which has 11 players in the top-100, is in a sweet moment. Munar, who had never passed the first round of the BNP Paribas Open until this year, He will face Taylor Fritz on Tuesday in the third. The American (20th) swept Polish Majchrzak in 57 minutes (double 6-1).

The first was scored by Pablo with a break in the third game, which he knew how to maintain until the end of the sleeve, although he had to save three break points along the way that Jaume did not take advantage of. The second set was played at a breakneck pace and Munar raised the level until he threatened Carreño’s serve at 4-4. He then suffered to get his own forward before leveling the match with a break for the final 6-4.

The third set began with continuous alternatives and the remains prevailing over the serves. two breaks. The tension and healthy competitiveness between tennis players from two illustrious academies, Equelite (Carreño) and Rafa Nadal (Munar), did not decrease, it increased, with resounding celebrations of points. The breaks multiplied and the Spaniard raised a match-ball with 5-4 against. In the troubled river, he could have been the fisherman who profited from the final break, thanks to two unforced errors by the Balearic Islands, but he did not consolidate it because Munar took advantage of one of the two break balls he had and saved those two match quotes before the decisive tiebreaker, a culmination deserved by both and cruel for Carreño.

exciting ending

There was a wonderful goal from both that Munar took, cooler legs at the end and who was accompanied by a little more luck when a very complicated defense was pulled out of the hat to pick up a ball almost from the ground whose trajectory Pablo had traced with an angle almost impossible to respond to and which then touched the net before falling to the other side of the court with suspense. That was the last straw before a backhand missed by the inevitable loser. Too bad they can’t sneak them together in the next phase.

Indian Wells Masters 1,000 results.