Tennis Parlay Pablo Carreno-Busta + Nuno Borges: Estoril

Estoril 🇵🇹

• Estoril, a slow clay court by the sea that rewards players who feel at home there. That's lucky: today I have two of them, a Spaniard already on the record books of the house, a Portuguese carried by his home crowd, both launched and both facing an opponent announced as more tender.

• First, Pablo Carreno Busta. He not only won here, he knows every inch of this clay, and at 35 he is going through a real second youth. His opening match reminded us of that: a 6-1, 6-3 dispatched to Vilius Gaubas without a single timeout, the kind of match that installs confidence for the week.

• The trap bears a name, Luca Van Assche. The young Frenchman leads their only confrontation, a Challenger final snatched in three sets last year, and he too comes from a victory. The duel promises to be long, I won't pretend otherwise.

• But on a slow clay that quickly punishes approximations, the experience and consistency of the Spaniard weigh heavily. Where Van Assche still has to learn these conditions, Carreno Busta already knows exactly what to do with them. I see him prevailing after the effort.

• Then Jaime Faria, and the scene shifts to the Portuguese side. The local boy comes off a nice win over Botic van de Zandschulp and is having one of the best clay court seasons on the board. In front of his own, against a player ranked much lower, he starts with a clear head start.

• On the other side, Gonzalo Bueno is no figurehead: the Peruvian is on a 3-match winning streak, he came through qualifying, and he saved a match point at 3-5 in the third set before turning around Tiago Pereira. A player in full swing, not to be taken lightly.

• But stringing wins in qualifying is one thing, taking down the local favorite launched, on the main court, for his very first real week on the main circuit is another. I see Faria manage the gap in level and wrap up the affair without being overwhelmed.

• Two men at home on this clay, two favorites who have no right to relax but who have the weapons to get the job done. The combo embraces Estoril, in two sets preferably, in three if really needed to get the job done.