Draxl loses main draw debut to Carreno Busta in NBO first round
Canadian Liam Draxl could not take advantage of a hot start as he dropped his first-round match to Pablo Carreno Busta 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the National Bank Open on Monday night.
The Newmarket, Ont., native had the world No. 92 on the ropes early in his ATP Tour main draw debut by emphatically winning the first set, but he could not maintain momentum as the 2022 National Bank Open Champion clawed back for the victory.
Carreno Busta advances to take on world No. 21 Arthur Fils on Wednesday.
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Draxl came roaring out of the gate to the delight of the hometown crowd. He opened the match with a perfectly placed serve that Carreno Busta could not return, setting the tone for the first set. The Canadian continued to put on the pressure and held his serve at love, drawing a massive ovation from the Sobey’s Stadium crowd.
The 23-year-old Draxl had his serve dialled in early, drilling five aces and winning 16 of his first 19 service points, including his first seven, to take a 5-2 lead. He would complete a fantastic opening set win when Carreno Busta double-faulted on break point. Draxl won all 11 of his first-serve points in the first set and hit 13 winners to just four for Carreno Busta.
Carreno Busta finally solved his younger counterpart’s serve in the second, forcing him to face two break points with the set tied 2-2. Draxl would save both to win the game and celebrated with a few fist pumps while encouraging the raucous Toronto crowd. However, the 34-year-old would earn his first break on Draxl’s next service game to take a 4-3 lead in the second. The Canadian would get no closer than 5-4 as Carreno Busta promptly served out the game to even up the match at one set apiece.
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After getting broken to go down 2-1 in the third set, Draxl took a brief medical timeout as the trainers tended to his right shoulder. Serving to keep the game within reach, the fan favourite fired up the crowd once again, hitting a pair of spectacular winners to hold and re-take some momentum and close the gap to 3-2. Draxl had the chance to take back control of the match in the next game, but after breaking Carreno Busta to get back on serve, he committed two double faults on his own service game to cede control right back to the Spaniard. Things would stay on serve from that point on as the veteran would close out the victory in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Draxl’s serve, which was so effective in the first set, faltered in the third, as he committed five double faults and won just 65 per cent of his first-serve points. He also committed 54 unforced errors, 44 in the second and third sets, to allow Carreno Busta back into the match.
Draxl earned his spot in the main draw earlier this month, defeating Alexander Blockx in the final of the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger to clinch the Road to the NBO wild card. Draxl has reached a career-high rank of 113 this season after winning a combined three titles on the Challenger and ITF tours this season.
-Jonathan Chan
Martin eliminated in first round by Munar
Dan Martin was unable to win his first ATP Tour-level match, falling in the first round of the National Bank Open 6-3, 6-0 to Jaume Munar.
Martin qualified for the main draw with a three-set thriller over Taro Daniel but was unable to carry the momentum into the main draw.
Munar will move on to face world No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo in the second round.
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Martin and Munar went back and forth in the first set, until Martin faced the first break point of the match with the set tied 2-2. He saved the break point with a perfectly placed forehand winner and would fight back to take the game and a 3-2 lead in the set.
Things quickly turned with Martin in the lead, and Munar would easily control the rest of the match. Despite the promising start for the 560th-ranked Canadian, he would struggle on serve for the rest of the afternoon and be broken by Munar five consecutive times.
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The 26-year-old Canadian was broken on his first service game of the second set, and Munar, 28, would easily hold on his next service game to put Martin on the ropes. Munar’s return game became too much for Martin as the match wore on, resulting in the lopsided 6-0 second set where the 51st-ranked Spaniard rattled off 10-straight games to seal the victory.
Munar’s strong serve was too much for his opponent, as Martin did not force a single break point in the scorching heat at Sobey’s Stadium in Toronto. He won just 40 per cent of his first serve points and faced 10 break points throughout the match, saving five.
Munar reached the round of 16 in Rome this season but fell to world No. 13 Casper Ruud.
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-Jonathan Chan
Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) vs [WC] Alexis Galarneau (CAN)
Feature Photo: Geoff Robins
