Pablo Carreno Busta Wins First Career ATP 500 Trophy at Hamburg Open

Pablo Carreno Busta continues to impress on the clay courts…

The 30-year-old Spanish player defeated Filip Krajinovic, 6-2, 6-4, in the Hamburg Open final on Sunday.

Pablo Carreno Busta

The second-seeded Spaniard did not drop a set and converted all three of his break opportunities.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Carreno Busta said. “I think that I worked very, very hard to finally win this title. It’s my first ATP 500 title.”

It’s Carreno Busta’s sixth title overall. He won in Marbella in April and he has now claimed 17 clay-court wins this season after reaching the semifinals at Barcelona and Mallorca.

The sixth-seeded Krajinovic was playing in his fourth ATP tour final. He upset top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals but was unable to claim his first title.

“I hope it will come one day,” Krajinovic said.

Pablo Carreno Busta Reaches Hamburg Open Final

Pablo Carreno Busta is one win away from his sixth ATP title…

The 30-year-old Spanish player defeated Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Hamburg Open.

Pablo Carreno Busta

Carreno Busto, who last won a title at the Andalucia Open in April, will face Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic in the final.

His other titles include the Chengdu Open in September 2019, the Estoril Open in May 2017, the Kremlin Cup in October 2016 and the Winston-Salem Open in August 2016.

Carreno Busto is currently ranked No. 13 in the world.

Nadal Wins Hamburg Open, Closes in on Guillermo Vilas’ Clay Court Title Record

Rafael Nadal is thisclose to cementing his status as the “King of Clay.”

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis star managed to overcome some sloppy play on his favorite surface to beat Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-5 and win the Hamburg Open for the second time on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal squandered a 3-1 lead in the final set and saved two set points before prevailing in 2 hours and 34 minutes over the eighth-seeded Italian and the 2013 Hamburg winner.

“It was a great match, many great points, many breaks, we fought hard,” Nadal said. “I had many ups and downs.”

The former World No. 1 extended his run of having won at least one European clay-court title every year since 2004 when he took his maiden crown in Sopot, Poland.

“It’s an important title for me,” Nadal said.

Nadal now has 47 clay-court titles, second only to Guillermo Vilas‘ 49. It was Nadal’s second title on clay this year after Buenos Aires in February. He has 67 career titles overall. Nadal won in Hamburg in 2008.

With his third title of the year, Nadal will rise one spot to No. 9 in the rankings.

Fognini was trying to become the first player to beat Nadal three times on clay in a year. With six losses this year, Nadal has as many defeats on clay as in three previous years combined.

The two players traded breaks in the first four games and Nadal saved one break point to hold for 6-5. Fognini then saved three break points before Nadal clinched the set with a forehand return.

Nadal served for a 4-1 lead in the second, but Fognini turned the match before wasting two set points in the 10th game.

Nadal again had to save two break points before going 6-5 up. Two successive forehand errors by Fognini gave Nadal the match in the next game.

Nadal Defeats Andreas Seppi to Reach Hamburg Open Final

Rafael Nadal is back in an ATP men’s final…

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis star beat Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 to set up a Hamburg Open final against Fabio Fognini.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal served a double-fault at match point in the seventh game before breaking serve in the next to win.

Nadal, the tournament’s top seed, is looking to extend his streak of having won at least one European clay-court title every year since 2004.

The former World No. 1 has dropped to 10th in the rankings and is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon.

He won in Hamburg in 2008, the last time he played in the clay-court event.

The fourth-seeded Fognini beat qualifier Lucas Pouille 6-2, 7-6 (3) after saving a set point in the second set.

Nadal holds a 4-2 career edge over Fognini, the 2013 Hamburg champion.

Mayer Upsets David Ferrer at the Hamburg Open to Win His First-Ever ATP Title

Leonardo Mayer is officially a titleholder… And, he did it by taking down the top seed.

The 27-year-old Argentine tenista upset David Ferrer 6-7 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the Hamburg Open final on Sunday to claim his first ATP title.

Leonardo Mayer

The 46th-ranked Mayer saved five of the eight break points he faced and converted five of his seven chances to beat Ferrer, who is ranked No. 7 in the world, in the clay-court tournament.

“I can’t believe it,” said Mayer. “I was able to do it against Ferrer, who is one of the best players on this surface. I’m really happy and it still hasn’t sunk in that I won.”

Mayer had not dropped a set in five matches to reach the final, while Ferrer was bidding for his 22nd title.

“He was better in the match,” said Ferrer. “I think I was little bit nervous in the important moments and he played more aggressive than me, and nothing else.”