DOHA TENNIS NEWS – RAFAEL NADAL OVERCOMES PABLO CARRENO BUSTA OR IS IT PABLO CARRENO? NOVAK DJOKOVIC TO FACE FERNANDO VERDASCO

Written by: Staff on 5th January 2016

DOHA TENNIS NEWS - RAFAEL NADAL OVERCOMES PABLO CARRENO BUSTA OR IS IT PABLO CARRENO? NOVAK DJOKOVIC TO FACE FERNANDO VERDASCO

epa05088917 Spain's Rafael Nadal in action against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain during their first round match for the Qatar Open tennis tournament at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 05 January 2016. EPA/STR |

By Ricky Dimon

Rafael Nadal recovered from a set deficit to beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 in round one of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday. Nadal served at 74 percent and did not face a single break point until the third set as he prevailed in exactly two hours.

“I had chances in the beginning of the match; I couldn’t convert,” Nadal reflected. “I think I changed a little bit at the beginning of the second (set). I’m very happy with the way that I managed to change the dynamic of the match, and I think I finished the match playing well.”

No. 4 seed David Ferrer was not as fortunate in his opening match as the Doha defending champion. The 33-year-old Spaniard got upset 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-2 by Illya Marchenko after two hours and 18 minutes of play. Marchenko could have sealed the deal in quicker fashion, but the Ukrainian threw away a 5-1 lead in the opening-set tiebreaker.

“He was better than me all the match,” Ferrer lamented. “From the first set, he deserved win the match. I didn’t obviously play my game. I didn’t serve well. (In the) second and third set, he was more aggressive than me.”

Nadal, who becomes an overwhelming favorite in the bottom half of the draw with Ferrer out, will be back in action on Wednesday against Robin Haase. They will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers. Their only previous encounter came six years ago at Wimbledon, where Nadal survived a second-round thriller 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 on his way to the title.

Speaking of final sets, Haase also needed one in his Doha opener on Monday. The Dutchman overcame qualifier Aslan Karatsev 5-7, 6-1, 7-5. Haase registers at 66th in the rankings after compiling a mediocre 15-21 record at the ATP level last season.

World No. 1 and top seed Novak Djokovic is facing Fernando Verdasco after the Spaniard held off Malek Jaziri in a pair of tiebreakers on Tuesday night. Verdasco will not have much recovery time before facing Djokovic for the 12th time in his career on Wednesday afternoon. The 32-year-old is an extremely respectable 4-7 lifetime in this head-to-head series, but he last defeated Djokovic in 2010. They most recently squared off at last season’s Australian Open, where Djokovic cruised 7-6(8), 6-3, 6-4.

Djokovic kicked off his campaign on Monday with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of qualifier Dustin Brown.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Editors Note: Ok. We know Pablo Carreno BUSTA and Pablo Carreno are both the same hot Young Spaniard.

We sat with Benito thru a Few matches. Benito was trying to convince him what a nice ring Pablo Carreno had to it. And how he should drop the BUSTA. So sometimes you see it either way or both. Not sure Pablo dropping the last part of his name is timed right anymore. Benito Perez-Barbadillo tried. Benito knows tennis and names and is the main man in RAFA’S communication world. Benito had been with the ATP as the Director of Communications and Latin Relations.

Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in action against Spain’s Rafael Nadal during their first round match for the Qatar Open tennis tournament at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 05 January 2016. EPA/STR

Topics: 10sballs.com, David Ferrer, Doha, Dustin Brown, ExxonMobil Open, Fernando Verdasco, Malek Jaziri, Novak Djokovic, Pablo Carreno-Busta, Qatar, Rafael Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Tennis News