In three and a quarter hours of play,
Tomás Etcheverry
never lost focus. Despite always being one step behind his rival,
Brandon Nakashima
, who had just triumphed against
Andrey Rublev
, the player from La Plata never let go of his racket and achieved a great comeback to take the match 6-3, 7-6 , 6-4. The victory put him in the quarterfinals of the
ATP 500 in Barcelona
.
After losing the first set, Etcheverry battled until reaching the
tie break
in the second set, where he managed to overcome a 3-5 and win it 7-5. From then on, the game could have gone to anyone. The score gave no indication of who could win, but
Tomy
took the initiative in a key game.
Being 4-4 in the last set, the man from La Plata, who is ranked number 31 in the world ranking, managed to gain the advantage and break his rival, moving ahead on the scoreboard. He closed by serving for the match and ended the battle starring an elite level of tennis.
GREAT VICTORY FOR TOMY! 🇦🇷🔥
Etcheverry ran from behind throughout the match, but ended up taking it 3-6, 7-6 (5) and 6-4 against Nakashima.
Norrie is coming in the #Barcelona quarterfinals! 💪 pic.twitter.com/nbLMLhznjV
— ESPN Tennis (@ESPNtenis) April 18, 2024
Minutes after the match, Etcheverry celebrated the "great tennis" he played and assured that "he had been looking for this level" for a long time.
"
I played very aggressive
, great tennis today, even though it was a match that was defined by one or two balls. I was looking for this level and it is appearing.
I am happy to be playing this way in such a tournament." important
," commented the 24-year-old from La Plata.
He then explained that he is focusing especially on improving his forehand and serve, and
admitted that his short-term goal is to finish the year in the top 20 of the ATP
. “My goal this year is to be top 20, to try to finish it on this scale.
Obviously in the future it is to be in the top ten
.”
The Argentine, who will compete in the quarterfinals of an ATP 500 tournament for the second time after achieving it in
Basel
last season, explained that his withdrawal due to injury at the
ATP 250 in Buenos Aires
in February was "a fairly important misfortune" that It took him "a lot to get ahead mentally," although he stressed that "getting injured and coming back stronger is part of this sport."
His next match will be in the quarterfinals of the
Barcelona Open
against the British
Cameron Norrie
, who won against
Roberto Bautista Agut
a couple of hours earlier. The last and only time they met was in the quarterfinals of the
Argentina Open
in 2023, where Norrie won.
With information from EFE.