Tennis star is booed from the court after swearing at the umpire in Spanish and throwing his bag across the court over a tiebreaker call during marathon five-hour loss
- Tennis star Pablo Carreno Busta has spectacularly blown up at the chair umpire
- Kei Nishikori overcame the Spaniard, 27, in epic five-hour thriller in Melbourne
- The eighth seed was trailing 8-5 in the tiebreaker before controversy struck
- A contentious call changed the momentum which left Carreno Busta livid
- The Spaniard chucked his tennis gear in frustration before he left the court
- Carreno Busta was heard screaming in anger at chair umpire Thomas Sweeney
- ‘Cabron’, he yelled, a Spanish word roughly translates to ‘b******’ or ‘dumba**’
Spanish tennis star Pablo Carreno Busta has spectacularly blown up at the chair umpire as he crashed out of the Australian Open after an epic five-hour clash with Kei Nishikori.
A furious Carreno Busta lost it as he went down in a five-set thriller with the Japanese star on Monday night, stopping only briefly to hug his opponent before slamming his bag on to the court and abusing at umpire Thomas Sweeney.
Carreno Busta, 27, was heard screaming in anger at Sweeney: ‘Cabron!’ – a Spanish word which roughly translates to ‘b******’ or ‘dumba**’ – as he left Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena to the jeers of the crowd.
Spanish tennis star Pablo Carreno Busta has spectacularly blown up at the chair umpire as he crashed out of the Australian Open
A furious Carreno Busta lost it as he went down in a five-set thriller with the Japanese star on Monday night
After being two points from victory in a fifth set tiebreaker, Carreno Busta (right) lost five straight, including one where he berated the chair umpire for not ruling a replay
‘I left as soon as I could after the last point, because I knew I might explode,’ Carreno Busta said in Spanish after the match. ‘I apologise for the way I left the court.’
After being two points from victory in a fifth set tiebreaker, Carreno Busta lost five straight, including one where he berated the chair umpire for not ruling a replay.
Carreno Busta’s shot clipped the net, and Nishikori reset to hit a backhand down the line after the ball landed near the doubles alley.
A line judge called it out, after Nishikori had hit the ball down the line, and Carreno Busta was nowhere close to playing it.
After the match, Carreno Busta stopped only briefly to hug his opponent before slamming his bag on to the court and abusing at the umpire
Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta reacts with fury after loosing the match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori
Carreno Busta didn’t win another point after a controversial call, and Nishikori sealed the match with an ace
Carreno Busta crashed out of the Australian Open on Monday night after a controversial loss
He challenged the decision, and Hawk-Eye showed the ball hitting the line, but the point remained with Nishikori.
Carreno Busta didn’t win another point, and Nishikori sealed the match with an ace.
The eighth-seeded Nishikori stays to play six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. Carreno Busta is out of the tournament.
‘It’s tough, to me to leave Australian Open like this, because I think that I played an unbelievable match,’ the 23rd-seeded Spaniard said.
Kei Nishikori overcame Pablo Carreno Busta in a thrilling five-hour match on Monday
Carreno Busta, 27, was heard screaming in anger at chair umpire Thomas Sweeney (back)
‘I left as soon as I could after the last point, because I knew I might explode,’ Carreno Busta said in Spanish after the match
‘Also Kei, he played really good, and that’s sad to leave like this.’
Nishikori eventually won 6-7 (8), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (8).
It was the second time the 2014 US Open finalist has had to come back from two sets down in the tournament, and the second time he’s had to win in the new 10-point fifth-set super tiebreakers that were introduced at Melbourne Park this year.
Nishikori heroically fought back from two sets down to win the match at the Australian Open
Carreno Busta lays on the floor following his long five-hour match in the fourth round
A knackered Nishikori gives a thumbs up to the fans after winning the fourth-round encounter