Spain's Pablo Carreño beats Novak Djoković and clinches the bronze

AN EPIC and completely unexpected result by a relative outsider has given Spain its second bronze medal – Pablo Carreño managed to beat ATP world number one Novak Djoković in three sets, sparking an episode of disappointed rage in the Serb who reportedly hurled down his racquet.

Carreño lost the semi-finals against Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes, whilst Germany's Aleksander Zverev knocked Djoković out in three sets by 1-6, 6-3 and 6-1, meaning the battle for the silver and gold in men's singles will now be between Khachanov and Zverev.

Meanwhile, Carreño thought he would be going home with a fourth-place diploma, as did tennis fans in general, given that the world number 11 would be facing one of the top players in history in the duel for the bronze.

And Djoković did not make it easy for him, but having been playing at his limits in three matches within the last 24 hours, Carreño took advantage of his high-profile rival's increasing tiredness, with a break in the fifth game and maintaining his serve correctly to clinch him the first set 6-4.

The second set saw Djoković making a comeback with renewed energy, more sure of himself and forcing a tie-break.

Ending on 6-7 and levelling up the score, the bronze would all hang on the third set, which started off as very promising for the player from Gijón, Asturias, when he broke the Serb's first serve.

A hard-fought set three ended on 6-3 to Carreño, who turned out to be the saviour of Spanish tennis in Tokyo as his was the country's last chance at a medal.

Carreño's award, which Eurosport Spain described as 'a bronze that feels like a gold' owing to the huge challenge he had to overcome to achieve it – much like that of mountain-biker David Valero, who also took a bronze after coming back from a race start close to last place – is the fifth for Spain in Tokyo and the 13th in the nation's history for tennis.

Spain has achieved two golds, both won by the country's top player Rafael Nadal – absent from the current Games – in the men's singles in Peking 2008 and in the doubles with Marc López at Rio 2016, plus seven silvers and, now, thanks to Carreño, four bronzes.

At Tokyo 2020, Spain has won two bronzes so far – Carreño's and Valero's, with the former's being the country's fifth medal – two silvers, in Taekwondo by Adriana Cerezo and in slalom canoeing by Maialén Chourraut, and now, its first gold, medal number four, in mixed team trap shooting, scooped up by Fátima Gálvez and Alberto Fernández.