The quarterfinal contest between Grigor Dimitrov and Pablo Carreno Busta at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell took an unexpected and heated turn with the world No. 5 serving at 2-4 in the second-set tiebreaker.
Dimitrov struck a first serve that looked like it may have been long, to which Carreno Busta replied with a weak backhand return. As Dimitrov approached the net to hit what should have been a routine forehand volley, the Spaniard appeared to stop playing–as if he thought the serve was out or simply assumed that his opponent would hit an easy winner on the next shot.
Dimitrov promptly netted his swinging volley, after which he protested that Carreno Busta had stopped the point.
Dimitrov is so wrong here. Pablo showed no signed of stopping the point. He was simply assuming that Dimitrov would end it with a very easy swinging volley. pic.twitter.com/U82gjkeHDM
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) April 27, 2018
Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes awarded the point to Carreno Busta–correctly so, given that there had been no official stoppage of play–and the incident appeared to be finished. But it escalated at the handshake following Carreno Busta’s 6-3, 7-6(4) victory.
Dimitrov told the world No. 11 that “as a man” he should have admitted to stopping the point. “I will remember this,” the Bulgarian declared. When Carreno Busta tried to explain his side of things, Dimitrov quipped, “Don’t talk to me.”
Grigor warns Carreño Busta that he won't forget PCB didn't advocate for a replay of the TB point Grigor lost because he was distracted when PCB stopped playing. Shots, they have been fired. pic.twitter.com/KXZ2A0vzuL
— TroubleFault (@troublefault) April 27, 2018
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