All eyes were on Serena Williams Friday night at the U.S. Open, where her historic career came to an end at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic. But there was was also an incredible ending to the match on the adjacent Grandstand court.
Pablo Carreno Busta clinched his four-set, third-round win over Alex de Minaur with a spectacular tweener, or a shot between his legs.
The two were locked in a tiebreaker when de Minaur, a 23-year-old Aussie, hit a backhand lob volley over the 31-year-old Spaniard, who was also at the net. But Carreno Busta chased the ball down and hit it between his legs and just out of reach of the leaping de Minaur.
The ball hit off the frame of de Minaur’s racquet but sailed long, causing de Minaur to slam his racket in disgust, Carreno Busta to collapse in joy and the crowd to explode.
The loss was crushing for the Aussie, whose best Grand Slam results have typically come at the U.S. Open, where he’s twice reached at least the fourth round. There also looked to be an opening after Carreno Busta took a medical time out after dropping the third set, 3-6, with his team giving him a new set of orthotics.
But the 12th-seeded Spaniard, a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist who won the title in Montreal last month, was able to rally to defeat de Minaur, 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
Carreno Busta will next play No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov on Sunday with the winner of that match advancing to face the winner of the Daniil Medvedev-Nick Kyrgios tilt.
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