In a battle lasting more than four hours in stifling heat, Argentine tennis player Tomas Etcheverry defeated his compatriot and friend Francisco Cerundolo on Wednesday in the third round of the US Open, which Francisco Comesana also reached with a surprising victory.
Comesana, number 108 in the ATP, left behind Ugo Humbert, the highest-ranked Frenchman in the rankings at number 17.
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The Argentine thus advanced to the third round of the New York Grand Slam for the first time, as did Etcheverry.
Number 33 in the ATP, Etcheverry battled for five sets against Cerundolo (29th) under extreme conditions, with high humidity and temperatures close to 35°C Celsius.
Etcheverry, who vomited on court during the fifth set, prevailed by a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, and 6-3 after four hours and four minutes of play on Court 12 at Flushing Meadows.
“The conditions were very difficult, honestly,” Etcheverry explained afterward. “We were expecting them, but the temperature felt like 38 degrees and you have to add another four degrees inside the pitch. It is truly hard to play like that.”
“I had to hydrate well, and try to take in as much carbohydrates and salt as possible, and I went beyond, which is why I ended up vomiting. My body couldn’t hold out in the fifth set,” explained the 25-year-old tennis player.
“It’s risky not only for the players but also for the public. I think that until something happens, they won’t change it. But we had to adapt, it was for both of us equally,” he said.
Cerundolo also hoped to surpass his second-round barrier in New York, but in the current hard-court tour, he has not been able to show the great level of the clay season, where he won the third title of his career in July in Umag (Croatia).
Cerundolo equaled Etcheverry’s lead twice, and despite twisting his ankle when his right shoe came loose, he clung to his powerful serve to survive.
Etcheverry settled the match with the last of his 22 aces (compared to nine for Cerundolo) and hugged his friend at the net amid shouts of “Argentina” from the stands.
Etcheverry will now meet again with the German Alexander Zverev, world number four, who eliminated him last year in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros.
“I already have the experience, I already know how to play,” he said. “Now I am back playing well, I have confidence and I am going to go out to win no matter what.”
Argentina managed to place a total of six rackets in the second phase of Flushing Meadows, the only ones representing Latin American men’s tennis.
For the moment, Etcheverry will be accompanied in the next phase by Francisco Comesana, who achieved an unexpected victory against Ugo Humbert by 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, and 6-4.
The 23-year-old player from Mar de Plata will face another high-profile rival who will emerge from the clash between the American Taylor Fritz and the Italian Matteo Berrettini.
On the other hand, Sebastian Baez, the first Argentine racket in the ranking with his 21st position, retired due to problems in his right foot when he lost 6-1 and 2-0 against Tallon Griekspoor (40th) after 55 minutes of action.
On Thursday, Mariano Navone and Facundo Diaz Acosta will take on the scene against Britons Daniel Evans and Jack Draper.
