Eating into a 0-4 head-to-head chasm against Kevin Anderson in Miami\u00a0represented a big step forward for Pablo Carre\u00f1o Busta.<\/p>\n
26-year-old Carre\u00f1o Busta will no doubt have to eat into another 0-4 head-to-head if he is to exceed expectations at the French Open<\/a> 2018.<\/p>\n It\u2019s fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who is undoubtedly the current benchmark on clay. In his latest defeat to Nadal, at last year\u2019s French Open, Carre\u00f1o Busta had to withdraw at the beginning of the second set. Therefore, it will be good to see how a fully fit Carre\u00f1o Busta fares against the clay maestro.<\/p>\n Making the semifinals in his first clay event in Barcelona is a sturdy start. Continuing the momentum from the hard-court season, where he made the semis in Miami. This consistency is something that the Spaniard will seek to build upon, given the increasing need for surface versatility in the men\u2019s game.<\/p>\n However, Carre\u00f1o Busta will be disappointed with the tame nature of the straight sets defeat to rising Grecian Stefanos Tsitsipas in Barcelona. In that match, Carre\u00f1o Busta was not allowed to settle into his baseline building rhythm. He shrugged this disappointment off and made his third semifinal in a row in Estoril a week later. Again, it was a tame defeat that thwarted his title chances, with Frances Tiafoe the benefactor this time. The two semifinals on clay have been lost to players unfamiliar to the Spaniard, in the fact that he had never played either of them before.<\/p>\n Carre\u00f1o Busta needs to work on figuring out new opponents in-match, as he likes to follow a plan. This is easier to do when you are familiar with the opponent.<\/p>\n Just when you thought a first-round exit was not likely for Carre\u00f1o Busta, he goes and throws in a pitiful performance. He won just six games in a straight-sets defeat to the rising Borna Coric in Madrid. It was a lesson in ground strokes tennis. Previously, you\u2019d have thought the Spaniard would have dished such a lesson out rather than received it. This was their third meeting, but first on clay and Carre\u00f1o Busta trails the head-to-head 2-1. Coric is a potential banana skin at Roland Garros for the World #11, but he can\u2019t play that poorly again.<\/p>\n This underlines the nature of the punishing red clay. If you don\u2019t find your rhythm early you can be made to look amateurish.<\/p>\n The response from Carre\u00f1o Busta to the Coric faux pas was to avoid successive defeats heading into Roland Garros. Against his Italian Open 1st round opponent, Jared Donaldson, it was an effective rather than impressive victory, in three sets. The Spaniard adopted a bold approach. He went for it on first serve. Consequently, his first serve percentage dropped to 60%. This was his lowest in nine matches. On the plus side, it shows his willingness to mix things up. It\u2019s something that is vital when the next tournament is a Slam.<\/p>\n Another effective three-set victory over a second American, Steve Johnson, is the sum of the Spaniard\u2019s latest toils. Whatever Carre\u00f1o Busta\u2019s fate is in the remainder of this current tournament, it means he doesn\u2019t go into Roland Garros on the back of morale-sapping, back-to-back first-round defeats. He\u2019s showing that ability to win, whilst only playing at around 65%.<\/p>\n A maiden Slam semifinal appearance at the US Open 2017 and a 4th round appearance at the Australian Open 2018 shows Slam consistency. Merrily going about business, doing what\u2019s required against whoever comes next. This worked particularly well at Flushing Meadows last season. It\u2019s not a bad approach to take into Roland Garros, either.<\/p>\n Now that the Kevin Anderson hoodoo has been lifted, there\u2019s only Nadal and Alexander Zverev really to fear. Well, them and unknown opponents. However, fear can become a positive energy for Carre\u00f1o Busta at the French Open 2018. He might surprise a few people.<\/p>\n Main Photo:A Solid Start on Clay for Pablo Carre\u00f1o Busta<\/h3>\n
A Coric Blip in Madrid<\/h3>\n
Steadying the Ship in Rome<\/h3>\n
Carre\u00f1o Busta can Continue his Improved form in Slams<\/h3>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>