Although in recent days the focus of Argentine tennis has been on what happened and is happening in the country and the region, with the challengers from Buenos Aires and of Villa Maria; he Trelew W15; and the continuity of the South American Tour in BrazilOn the other side of the globe, ATP tournaments are held on indoor cement courts, conditions that do not favor the majority of national representatives. Antwerp, Belgium, was the destination chosen by four of the seven players within the Top 100 of the Argentine world ranking: Sebastián Báez, Tomás Etcheverry, Mariano Navone and Facundo Díaz Acosta. For its part, Francisco Cerúndolo and Thiago Tirante They bet on two other contests. The eldest of the brothers signed up for the Almaty Openin Kazakhstanwhile the man from La Plata did it in StockholmSweden.
The traditional European Openwhich has been played since 2016 in the Lotto Arena and which had three editions Diego Schwartzman as finalistthis time it did not bring luck for the albicelestes. Navone, with just enough, after saving two match points against the Brazilian Thiago Monteiroy Etcheverrywhich defeated the historic Richard Gasquetwere the only ones to surpass the debut before being eliminated in the round of 16. Báez, who fell this Thursday against the local team and also Diaz Acosta’s executioner, Zizou Bergsavoided the opening round by starting as fourth seed. Despite his promising start to the year, the pupil of Sebastian Gutierrez He has not yet achieved results and nor has he imposed a high level on the fast surface.
Tirante, for his part, is a player with the right tools for that soil. The former number 1 in the ITF junior rankings in 2019 is going through the best season of his career, which includes his entry into the select group of the 100 best in the world in April (today he is ranked 121st), a title and a final. This week, the player from La Plata played his best game and passed the qualification of the Swedish event, after beating Nikola Slavic and Augusto Holmgren. The Nordic country suits him well and brings back glorious memories. A few months ago, but on the brick dust of Enoughreached his first semifinals on the big circuit and also achieved his first success in a Top 10 when he defeated Andrey Rublev (8th). In any case, their adventure there came to a premature end. The Spanish Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (64th) defeated him 7-6(2) and 6-2 in one hour and 42 minutes of play, in the first round of the competition.
Cerúndolo, the one with the peculiar course, is the only Argentine in the race this week. After eliminating the 17-year-old German promise, Justin Engel, in straight sets, the one from the Belgrano Athletic club will face the local Alexander Shevchenko in search of a place among the best four of the tournament which is being played for the first time in Almatyafter three consecutive years in Astanathe new capital of Kazakhstan.
The match is scheduled in the second round of the Court Central del Almaty Arenafollowing what happens between the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo and the Canadian Gabriel Dialloand you can continue by Tennis TV o Disney Plus. According to the official website of the Association of Professional Tennis Playersthe estimated time in our country would be 04:30. However, this is subject to any change.
His opponent, Shevchenko, has an interesting story. He was born on November 19, 2000 in Rostov Del Don, Russia. At the age of 9 he moved to Vienna, Austriaand a holiday in Kitzbühel created his fanaticism for this sport. Curiously, as if it were scripted, its debut on the ATP circuit was in 2022 in the tournament hosted by the city recognized worldwide for its ski resort.
In any case, Rostovite did not attract attention until after the COVID-19 pandemic, when it began to have its first big results. Already a regular in the Top 100, at the beginning of 2024 his surname returned to the public’s mouths. And he became a Kazakh national. Just like Elena Rybakina5th in the women’s ranking, and the extravagant Alexander Bublikamong other cases. “Sasha” changed the tricolor flag, made up of three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red, for the light blue cloth with a 32-striped sun above a golden steppe eagle when it was time to jump onto the court.
