‘Caratti Kid,’ Ranked 79th, Upsets Lendl
Unseeded Cristiano Caratti, the “Caratti Kid,” upset top-seeded Ivan Lendl 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) in the Milan Indoor tournament today and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Caratti, 20, is ranked No. 79 in the world. Lendl, a three-time Milan winner, is listed third in the ATP rankings.
Caratti used a strong backhand and sudden dashes to the net to win the second-round match in two hours and 25 minutes at the Assago Forum.
In the decisive tie-break, the 30-year-old Lendl fell behind 0-3 and fought back to 3-3 before losing four consecutive points to Caratti.
The Italian, who reached the third round of the Australian Open last month, won match point with a precise volley as the crowd of 3,000 went wild.
Third-seeded Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union was upset by Sweden’s Jan Gunnarson 6-4, 6-3.
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