US Open | Bautista lets out a controlled match against Pospisil

Roberto Bautista conceded this Saturday in the third round of the US Open one of those defeats that hurt for various reasons. To begin with, because it is in a Grand Slam, in the third round and against an affordable rival for the eighth seed of the tournament, who also arrived in shape at the appointment, after forcing the great Novak Djokovic to the maximum in the semifinals of the Masters 1,000 in Cincinnati . In addition, the Castellón, after losing the first set, had the game under control after clearly winning the next two against an opponent who requested a medical time-out. But Roberto got tangled up in the fourth set, started the second badly and let Pospisil grow until he won 7-5, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3 and 6-2 in 3:40. The Canadian will face Alex de Miñaur in the round of 16, an opponent that Bautista could perfectly have overcome if he had not suffered that pájara in the last section of the match. His story in New York, where his top was the fourth rounds of 2014 and 2015, does not quite take off.

“Against this player, everything happens very quickly, the good and the bad,” said Rober after the game. And so it was, because in the beginning he went from starting always in tow, with a permanent threat of breaking, to have two chances to break in the same game and give up the first set in the second and with bad feelings. Then came a phase in which the Spaniard let go and overflowed Pospisil, who had to put his foot down to be treated due to muscular discomfort. But he took a medication that must have been magical, because he seemed finished and reacted with good serves, the drive increasingly refined and a constant pressure on Bautista's turns that ended up bearing fruit when almost no one expected it. It was similar to what happened to Tsitsipas against Coric, saving certain differences (the Greek was 5-1 in the fifth sleeve). But actually, an even bigger surprise. In the end, the Canadian was more aggressive and the proof is that he landed 71 winners, 19 from direct service. The Spaniard perhaps lacked a bit more daring, to believe himself dominating by category and ranking, but he tried everything.

“Without realizing it, when I was more or less controlling my serves, practically without any problem, he, who is an uncomfortable player, who goes to jerks, was lucky in the end and unfortunately I couldn't win”Roberto acknowledged that despite the defeat he is again, virtually in the top-10, although they could overtake him throughout here at the end of the tournament. “Tennis and sports are like that, sometimes things don't turn out the way you want them. I've given everything I had on the court and things haven't turned out or the result has been given.”

Results of the day.