PABLO Carreno Busta has booked a spot in the US Open semi-finals for the second time in his career, equaling his 2017 effort with a five-set win over up and coming Canadian, Denis Shapovalov. The 29-year-old won 3-6 7-6 7-6 0-6 6-3, bouncing back from a donut in the fourth set to hold steady and claim victory in four hours and eight minutes.

The Spanish world number 27 survived Shapovalov’s serve which included 26 aces and a 79 per cent winning record on his first serve to post the victory. He was consistent across the match with a 71 per cent serving efficiency and 68 and 54 per cent winning record off his first and second serve. Shapovalov was dominant upon his approach at the net, getting past Carreno Busta on a number of occasions, winning 74 per cent of his approaches, as well as a massive 76 winners. Carreno Busta only hit the 33 winners, but had far less unforced errors (42-76).

”I’m destroyed, but I’m very happy. It’s incredible to be back in the semi-finals,” Carreno Busta said post-match. “I think I’m very comfortable on these courts.

”I think the past months during quarantine was very tough for everyone. I worked very hard with my coach. When you work hard, normally the results arrive. “Maybe not in the first tournament, but I’m very lucky to be in the semi-finals.”

Carreno Busta’s past month has been strong, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 doubles title with Alex de Minaur at the Western & Southern Open, and is now through to the final four at the US Open. He now has two wins remaining before he can lift the trophy aloft, gunning for his first ever Grand Slam final when he takes on fifth seed German, Alexander Zverev.

The world number seven won through with a come-from-behind four-set win over the challenging Borna Coric. Dropping the first set, Zverev was able to work through the match and eventually come out victorious, 1-6 7-6 7-6 6-3 in a tight tussle that lasted three hours and 25 minutes. Only five months separate the 23-year-olds, with 25 ranking places – seventh to 32nd – the difference between them.

In the match, Zverev hit 18 aces and 52 winners to control play, whilst only having five more unforced errors (46-41). Coric was able to be more efficient with his serving, but only marginally (72 to 71 per cent), which will often spell danger for Zverev’s opponents with the big server always able to have the upper hand if his inconsistent serve is on song. He only won 41 per cent of his second serve points, with the in-form Coric pushing him all the way and actually breaking him four times to three, but in the end the German got across the line thanks to his extra weapons.

“I just started playing maybe a little bit more aggressive because if I would have played the way I played, that’s not the level for a quarter-final match of a Grand Slam,” Zverev said post-match. “I had to start playing better and I was a little bit more consistent then as well. My serve got better and I thought to myself, ‘I’m down 6-1, 4-2, I have nothing to lose.'”

Realising he had more weapons than his opponent, Zverev played percentage tennis rather than power, resulting in less unforced errors, but well placed winners.

“At some point I told myself, ‘Look, if you keep playing like this, you’re going to be down two sets to love in a blink,'” Zverev said. “I needed to be more aggressive, needed to go into the rallies and be more stable as well. At the end of the day, this is what I did and this is why it worked out for me.”

Coric said it was disappointing to lose, but he was not unhappy with the way he played, noting the performance of his opponent.

“It was a very good match, very good competing, as well. In the third and fourth sets, I just felt like he also raised his level,” Coric said. “He was playing some really, really good tennis, because I thought I was not actually playing bad. I just thought he was too good in the third and in the fourth sets.”

Picture: ATP Tour