• Tuesday, 01 October 2024

No singles medal for Djokovic as Carreno Busta beats him for bronze

No singles medal for Djokovic as Carreno Busta beats him for bronze
Tokyo, 31 July 2021 (dpa/MIA) — Pablo Carreno Busta beat Novak Djokovic for the first time in a full match to claim Olympic bronze at the Tokyo Games on Saturday and leave his top-ranked opponent empty-handed. World number 11 Carreno Busta wasted a match point in the second-set tiebreak but the Spaniard never looked back after taking a quick 3-0 lead in the third for victory in 2 hours 47 minutes when Djokovic hit a forehand into the net on sixth match point. Carreno Busta also beat Djokovic at last year's US Open but that was after the Serb was disqualified in the first set when a ball he hit in frustration hit a lineswoman. On Saturday, Djokovic sent one racquet flying into the stands early in the third set and got a warning for destroying another one as the final set turned in favor of his opponent. The Serb tried his best after his bid for a first Olympic gold, and a golden slam, had ended in a semi-final meltdown against German Alexander Zverev the previous day.