By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 14, 2022
Arthur Rinderknech saved nine match points edging Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(16) then choked back tears dedicating a gutsy win to a departed loved one.
Photo credit: Getty
Powerful loss moved Arthur Rinderknech to deny defeat and earn the most emotional victory of his season.
A gutsy Rinderknech fought off nine match points edging home hero Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(16) in a wildly entertaining Gijon Open thriller.
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Dropping to his knees in exhilaration and emotional exhaustion after converting his sixth match point, Rinderknech rose to choke back tears dedicating a gutsy comeback to a dearly departed loved one.
There was heartfelt cause for his outpouring of emotion: Rinderknech's tears were honoring his grandmother.
Five days ago, Rinderknech's beloved grandmother passed away back home in France and he couldn't join his family at her funeral.
When those moment of truth match points arrived today, Rinderknech felt he was playing for something greater than himself.
"It's difficult to say something right now," Rinderknech said. "The match was crazy.
"I want to give this win to my Grandma that passed away five days ago. I wasn't able to be there in France with my family. So I play for her this week and this win is for her."
Playing with deep desire and pure heart, Rinderknech not only stopped the second-seeded Spaniard and muted the pro Carreno Busta crowd, he sealed a spot in his third semifinal of the season.
Meanwhile, Carreno Busta was near tears himself coping with the heartbreak of coming so close to the semifinals only to see victory slip through his fingers in a rollercoaster ride of a match.
The decisive tiebreaker escalated into dizzying drama as both men denied match points with precise shotmaking. Carreno Busta saved a match point firing a forehand pass for 8-8 in the tiebreaker.
The Spaniard stung the baseline with a drive for a sixth match point, but missed a drive down the line.
The 6'5" Rinderknech hit his second double fault into tape to face a seventh match point at 9-10. A bold Rinderknech banged a backhand winner down the line to erase it.
The lanky Frenchman pounded down a bounce smash punctuating an extensive rally to earn his second match point at 11-10 only to see Carreno Busta slide a backhand pass inside the sideline to draw even at 11-all.
A third match point slipped from the Frenchman's grip. When Rinderknech netted a forehand, he had to face an eighth match point. Both men maintained depth in the ensuing rally that ended with Carreno Busta's backhand missing the mark.
The two-handed backhand saved Rinderknech throughout the tiebreaker. Staring down a ninth match point, Rinderknech ripped a backhand winner crosscourt drawing even at 16-16.
On his final match point, Rinderknech showed guts attacking net, blocking a forehand volley into the open court then falling flat on his back after an epic victory that improves his record to 20-16 in 2022.
Afterward, a depleted Rinderknech sat on his court-side seat and wept.
The power of love charged this comeback.
"The first set, I wasn't feeling too good," Rinderknech said. "I was trying to fight, but it was difficult.
"I just thought about my Grandma and I was gonna give it a shot no matter what and try to win this match. Fortunately, I was able to win this one for her so it's great. I just don't know how I did it. The tiebreaker was just ridiculous. The end of the third set was ridiculous. Amazing to play in front of such a crowd like this. It was for Pablo, tough for me, but I love it. It was just incredible atmosphere."
The 56th-ranked Frenchman will face either American Sebastian Korda or former world No. 1 Andy Murray for a spot in Sunday's final.
Top-seeded Andrey Rublev won 31 of 37 first-serve points powering past American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-3. Rublev beat the 30th-ranked American for the fourth time in five meetings.
Continuing his quest for his fourth title of the season and secure a spot in the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Rublev will play Dominic Thiem in Saturday's semifinals.
The 2020 US Open champion Thiem converted five of nine break points beating fourth-seeded Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3.
The 93-minute triumph sent Thiem into his second semifinal of the season.
Currently ranked No. 132 in the ATP Live Rankings, Thiem is chasing his first championship since he rallied past Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final.
"From the first match on Monday I felt great," Thiem said. "On this court you can control the ball a lot and there is a super nice atmosphere.
"I'm super happy that I'm still in the tournament on the week and I'll be able to play at least another match here."
Former world No. 3 Thiem is seeking his first hard-court win over Rublev since the 2017 Vienna. Rublev has won their last three meetings to take a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head series.