Pablo Carreño is still on a roll. After hanging the bronze in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Gijonese defeated in the round of 16 of the Masters 1,000 in Cincinnati of the Polish Hubert Hurkacz, seed number 9 (Pablo is number 7), in a complicated and tremendously even game.
The first set went to the Spaniard in the tie break (8-6) and the second set began with a gale from Carreño that made it 3-0 and everything indicated that it would be resolved quickly. However, the rocky Pole broke the serve after two consecutive double faults by the Spanish and equalized at 3 after lifting six counterbreak balls from the Spanish. Another two more losses by Pablo in the next turn of serves brought the score to 4-4 and the feeling that there were too many lost chances. Easy games for both with the serve in command and a new balance: 5-5.
The arrival of the second tie break had a great point in favor of the Spanish: his consistency in the game should favor him adding point by point. Carreño took out that tremendous confidence and mental strength that he currently has in his shots and that has led him to a streak of 11 wins in the last 12 games to solve it by 7-3 for a final double 7-6. Now on the road to the American tournament the toughest bone is crossed, the Russian Medvedev.