Winston-Salem Open 2024: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien
Date: Thursday (August 22, 2024)
Tournament: Winston-Salem Open 2024
Round: Quarter-final
Venue: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $779,780
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien preview
Pablo Carreno Busta will take on local favorite Learner Tien for a spot in the 2024 Winston-Salem Open semifinal, with the two locking horns in an exciting encounter on Thursday.
Carreno Busta, a former top-10 player, is on a comeback trail from injury. He received a main draw wildcard for the 2024 Winston-Salem Open and beat Omni Kumar in the opening round. He followed up that victory by ousting the 13th seed Alexander Shevchenko and Alexander Vukic.
At last week’s 2024 Cincinnati Open, the Spaniard had posted back-to-back wins for the first time in two years, beating big names in the form of Sebastian Korda and Max Purcell. His season’s win-loss record stands at 6-4.
Tien, meanwhile, has just begun his journey on the senior circuit. Having made the boys’ singles finals at last year’s Australian and US Opens, he is debuting at the ATP level this week. The 18-year-old came through the qualification rounds and beat Tristan Schoolkate in the opening round for a dream debut. He then went on to take out more established names in the form of Fabian Marozsan and Thiago Seyboth Wild to make the quarterfinal.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the Carreno Busta and Tien, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien odds
(Odds to be updated)
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Learner Tien prediction
Both Pablo Carreno Busta and Learner Tien have a big opportunity to make the semifinal at an ATP 500 event, but the gap in experience makes the Spaniard a slight favorite on paper.
Unlike most of his clay-preferring compatriots, Carreno Busta has always had his best results on hardcourts. Be it his Tokyo Olympics bronze, two US Open semifinals, or his sole ATP Masters 1000 title in Canada, all the results have come on the hardcourts.
His serving prowess and flat hitting were once again on display in Cincinnati when he took out the likes of Sebastian Korda and Max Purcell. The numbers have been encouraging in Winston-Salem as well, with him winning nearly 80% of the points behind his first serve.
Tien also enjoys playing on hardcourts but his serve does not have that extra sting to help him win easy points. He does have electric footspeed and a strong backhand to boast of.
Carreno Busta looks pumped and all the time away from court only seems to have fuelled his hunger for a big result. Tien has played well all week, but it will take something special to stop the Spaniard’s surge.
Prediction: Carreno Busta to win in two tight sets