ATP Cup: Spain Shrug Off Rafael Nadal Absence To Beat Norway
NDTV
Veteran Roberto Bautista Agut upset world number eight Casper Ruud on Monday to give Spain their second straight win at the ATP Cup.
Veteran Roberto Bautista Agut upset world number eight Casper Ruud on Monday to give Spain their second straight win at the ATP Cup, a record matched by Hubert Hurkacz's Poland. The 33-year-old Bautista Agut is the lead singles player for his country in the absence of 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and has stepped up in style. After crushing Chile's world number 17 Cristian Garin in Sydney on Saturday, he backed it up with a battling 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Ruud, the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title.
"I played very good with very few unforced errors," said 19th-ranked Bautista Agut. "It's a good start (to the season) and I'm feeling good."
It ensured Spain won the tie with an unassailable 2-0 ahead of a dead doubles rubber after Pablo Carreno Busta made a quick start when he dismissed Norway's 345th-ranked Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 6-3 in just 69 minutes.
Former top-10 star Carreno Busta is now 4-1 in singles in his ATP Cup career, having beaten Chile's Alejandro Tabilo on Saturday.
"It's always important to win the first match. Today I felt more and more comfortable than the first day," he said. "We need to get the rhythm, we need to get the confidence."
