Kei Nishikori makes sensational comeback to win FIVE-HOUR match against Pablo Carreno Busta who screamed ‘b******’ at the umpire before storming off in a huff
- Kei Nishikori overcame Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-hour match in Melbourne
- Nishikori booked his spot in the quarter-finals after winning a fifth-set tiebreaker
- 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
Kei Nishikori reached the Australian Open quarter-finals after clinching a fifth-set tiebreaker that saw Pablo Carreno Busta scream ‘cabron’, the Spanish word for ‘b******’, in anger at the chair umpire as he left the court.
Nishikori rallied after dropping the first two sets and had a chance to serve out at 5-4 in the fifth but was broken.
Nishikori, who eventually won 6-7 (8), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (8), was trailing 8-5 in the tiebreaker when a contentious call changed the momentum and prompted the angry response from Carreno Busta.
Kei Nishikori overcame Pablo Carreno Busta in a thrilling five-hour match on Monday
Carreno Busta furiously reacts after losing the five-set match against Nishikori
The Spaniard launches his tennis equipment across the court before screaming at the umpire
The No 23-seeded throws his bag in frustration after losing the epic encounter in Melbourne
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.
He challenged the decision, and Hawk-Eye showed the ball hitting the line, but the point remained with Nishikori.
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
Carreno Busta argues with the chair umpire over a line call during the fifth-set tiebreaker
After arguing with umpire Thomas Sweeney, Carreno Busta lost the next three points and Nishikori sealed the match with an ace.
After shaking hands with Nishikori, Carreno Busta threw his bag into the court before collecting it and yelling at the chair umpire as he left the arena.
After spending 5 hours, 5 minutes on court in the fourth round, Nishikori will next play either six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev.
A knackered Nishikori gives a thumbs up to the fans after winning the fourth-round encounter
It was the second time in four rounds Nishikori has had to come back after losing the first two sets.
It was also the second time Nishikori has had to win a fifth-set, first-to-10 super tiebreaker, which was introduced at the Australian Open for the first time this year.
Nishikori withstood 59 aces from 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic in his second-round match before winning it in fifth-set tiebreaker.