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Thiago Tirante starred in the Roland Garros blooper: the explanation of why he did not realize he had won his first ATP match

2023-05-29T20:21:25.906Z

Highlights: Argentine Thiago Tirante won his first match on the men's tennis major circuit. The 22-year-old from La Plata, ranked 153rd, beat Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp. He celebrated his first triumph at the highest level of professional tennis. "I was very focused on point by point. I was very convinced that I had made it 5-3. When I went to dry with the towel, I looked at the skinny (Van de Zandshulp) to see if he was tense and I see him in the net," he said.


It was the debut in a Grand Slam for the 22-year-old and 153rd in the world ranking. "I was very focused on point by point," he said.


Thiago Tirante had an unforgettable debut – and with blooper included – at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old from La Plata, ranked 153rd, won in the first round 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp, 31st in the world, and celebrated his first triumph at the highest level of professional tennis. Although he celebrated came with some delay, because he was so focused on the game, that he did not realize that he had won it.

"I was very focused on point by point. I don't look at the screen so I don't have extra pressure. I was very convinced that I had made it 5-3. When I went to dry with the towel, I looked at the skinny (Van de Zandschulp) to see if he was tense and I see him in the net. That's when I became more disoriented," Tirante laughed.

"When I went to shake his hand I apologized if he had taken it badly, I explained it to him. And when I shook hands with the referee I asked him 'Did I win?'", added who is one of the rackets of that Argentine Next Gen that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. "For the match it was better, because I didn't load myself with extra pressure and I was able to play the points more serenely. But for happiness it was worse because I couldn't even celebrate."

Until this week, Thiago had played just one tournament on the ATP Tour in his career, Buenos Aires 2021, which he had entered thanks to a wild card when he was 386th in the ranking and had said goodbye to the German Dominik Koepfer in the first round.

Thus, the celebration against Van De Zandschulp, 27, was not only the first for him in a Grand Slam, but also the first in the major circuit of men's tennis.

The platense had already broken another barrier in Paris when entering the main draw. Because he got it by winning three matches in qualy, which was the first he could overcome in his career. Before this tournament, he had played and lost eleven other times in the previous phase of a tournament, including those of the last five "majors" played.

This Monday, he extended his streak by scoring his first victory against a more experienced rival, who is not a specialist in brick dust, but who a few weeks ago was a finalist on the slow courts of Munich, where he beat in the semis the American Taylor Fritz, tenth in the ranking, and gave fight in the final to the Danish Holger Rune, then seventh.

Tirante won his first match on the men's tennis major circuit. Photo EFE/EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG

"I can't believe it. It's my second year playing in the majors. It is the first qualy that happened. I'm not going to say it's given away, because I earned it. But I still don't feel that I got this victory. I'm going to fall in a while, maybe tomorrow," said an emotional Tirante in a chat with ESPN.

And he closed: "I am very happy. Hopefully I can continue like this, showing this level."

Tirante, winner at the end of April of the Challenger of Morelos (Mexico), will now face the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang, 71st in the ranking, who in the first round defeated 6-1, 4-1 and abandoned the Serbian Dusan Lajovic, 53rd in the world.

See also

Diego Schwartzman and a strong revelation about his future: "To be honest, I'm a little tired"

Roland Garros, day 2, LIVE: an almost full Albiceleste Monday with the victories of Tirante, Cachín, Schwartzman and Etcheverry

Roland Garros: Ukraine's Kostyuk booed for refusing to greet Belarusian Sabalenka

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2023-05-29

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