Pablo Carreno Busta braved challenging weather conditions to conclude his buildup to the Australian Open with a 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Matthew Ebden in the final of the Kooyong Classic on Friday.
Carreno Busta, the second Spaniard to win the event after two titles from Fernando Verdasco, staged a steady fightback to overhaul the 76th-ranked Ebden, who stands second on the national list behind Nick Kyrgios.
Ebden, who sat out half of 2016 with a knee injury, spent much of last season on the lower-level Challenger series and starts the Australian Open against 16th seed John Isner. Tenth seed Carreno Busta faces another Australian at Melbourne Park, playing Jason Kubler.
The final at the long-time former home of the Australian Open was played under leaden skies in heavy humidity and rain coming in from the west. It ended just as light drops began to fall and the trophy presentation ceremony was held with the protagonists sheltered under umbrellas.
The finalists qualified for the title match after beating the highest-ranked players in the first round, after Richard Gasquet decided that two matches were sufficient for his Open preparation.
In the women’s final, former number nine German Andrea Petkovic will face Swiss Belinda Bencic, who won the Hopman Cup last week with Roger Federer. “This match was tough, I had to come from a set down,” said Carreno Busta. “But it really helped me for the Open.
“It’s the perfect preparation for the Grand Slam. I feel very comfortable on this court. We had some bad luck with the rain, now we are waiting for the Open.”
Ebden said he was disappointed after failing to hold his lead, but was still pleased with his week on court. “Thanks for braving the rain,” he told the crowd. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the big trophy, but I tried my best. Pablo played well, I’ve had a lot of fun this week.”
The Australian added: “Today I played at a pretty good level, it would be nice to maintain it a bit more, lift it a few percentage points.
“The Open preparation is done, I just need a bit more focus, not rushing, even though today we hoped to get the match done before the rain.”
