11/18/2020 7:24 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 11/18/2020 7:24 AM
Diego Schwartzman will face his second appearance at the London Masters on Wednesday with the need for a victory so that he will not be virtually out of the race for the semifinals.
The
Peque
, who fell in the debut in straight sets against Novak Djokovic, will face, not before 11 in Argentina (with ESPN television), the German Alexander Zverev, who also lost his first match.
Eighth seeded in the tournament, Schwartzman lost 6-3, 6-2 to the Serbian, world number one and top seed, in his first group match
Tokyo 1970
.
That is why he needs a win against Zverev (5th), who was outscored 6-3, 6-4 by Daniil Medvedev (4th).
A loss will not mean their elimination from the tournament, which due to its particular format opens the door for a player to qualify for the second phase even by winning only one round robin match.
But it would leave him facing a very difficult outlook and that could get even more complicated if Medvedev beats Djokovic in the second match of the day, not before 17.
Schwartzman is the eighth seed of the Masters and, on paper, the player with the fewest chances of advancing to the semis.
Photo Glyn Kirk / AFP
If the Russian wins, he would remain as the leader of the group and would put Schwartzman before a possible tiebreaker with Djokovic for one of the tickets to the semis.
And in that scenario, the Serbian would take advantage of the Argentine because he won the duel between them.
Although for this situation to materialize there is a long way to go and there are many variables ahead.
For now, Peque will have to focus on the clash against Zverev, who is in a similar situation.
The German starts as the favorite to take the victory.
The world number seven and 2018 Masters champion landed in London in a great moment, after stringing together titles in two tournaments played in Cologne and reaching the final of the Masters 1000 in Paris, all on indoor hard courts.
The second of those celebrations in the German city was achieved precisely against Schwartzman, whom he beat by a clear 6-2 and 6-1 to add his 13th professional trophy.
Zverev prevailed in the last game they played, about three weeks ago in the Cologne final.
Photo EFE / EPA / FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
Zverev also prevailed in the other duel he previously played with Schwartzman on indoor concrete, the surface on which the season-ending contest is played.
It was two years ago, in the round of 16 in Paris.
The Peque, ninth in the world ranking, beat him in the first round of Kitzbühel 2014, on brick dust, and in the second round of the US Open last year.
Thus, the fighting history is tied 2-2.
Schwartzman, who is playing the "Masters Tournament" for the first time, wants to close an unforgettable season for him in the best way.
After the resumption of the circuit after the stoppage due to the pandemic, the porteño made a click in the Rome Masters, where he beat Rafael Nadal for the first time and fell in the final against Djokovic.
He then reached the semis at Roland Garros, broke into the top 10 for the first time, played the final in Cologne and said goodbye in the quarterfinals in Paris, where he secured his place in London.
Thus, although he had arrived in the English capital as the weakest rival in the contest, his level excited him with a possible surprise.
Schwartzman lost in the London debut to Djokovic.
Photo EFE / EPA / ANDY RAIN
In his debut, he did not play badly but he lost easily to Djokovic, something that could not be allowed because in this tournament, each game and each set won counts for the possibility of fighting for the semis classification.
Now he will go for the recovery against Zverev.
"I think that against Djokovic I did many things well, I was calm and with a good attitude. I will start from that base and try to improve for the next game, to see if I have a chance to pass the group," he commented after his fall to the world number one .
"For the next two games, I will have to serve better and try to earn some" free "points with my serve, because two rivals are coming who serve very, very well and mix a very good background solidity," he added.
MFV