Córdoba
possibly has a special place reserved in the heart of the
Burruchaga
.
There,
Jorge
, World Champion with the National Team in 1986, knew how to score his first goal decades ago in the First Division against Estudiantes de Río Cuarto.
He was followed by his son
Dehim Mauro
, who made his debut as a footballer with the Arsenal shirt on a visit to Talleres last year.
Now, as if destiny were written, it was
Román
's turn , who in the geographic center of the country also took his first steps to continue the sports dynasty.
But not as a footballer, but immersed in the world of tennis: he debuted in the main draw of an
ATP tournament
with nothing less than an unforgettable victory against
Diego
Peque
Schwartzman
.
With his hands raised, his eyes closed and an inevitable smile, just like his father celebrated the goal against Germany in the World Cup final, so much that he only knew about through old replays, Román Burruchaga celebrated his first victory inside of the ATP circuit in the first round of the
Córdoba Open
.
Nothing less than
after beating
Peque Schwartzman 6-1, 4-6 and 6-4, who continues without showing good tennis, in a duel that lasted just over two hours.
"I don't want to talk so much about myself. It was the first ATP match that Román won. I'm angry with my level, but we
have to see the positive side of another Argentine joining in
. I hope he enjoys it and continues to advance," Schwartzman acknowledged. talent of his winner, which forced him to extend the negative streak he has been carrying since last October.
At
22 years old
and occupying position
170 in the ranking
,
Burru
Jr. took the first step to begin to forge his history within the world of racket.
He did it at home after a long time playing abroad, under the oppressive heat that hit the capital of Cordoba, but with the special motivation of having the support of a world champion.
His father was in the stands of the center field of the
Kempes Sports Center
, a property adjacent to the provincial stadium, where Jorge scored his first goal and Mateo made his debut as a soccer player.
Incredible but real.
A night he'll never forget 🙌
🇦🇷 Roman Andres Burruchaga defeats Schwartzman 6-1 4-6 6-4 in his ATP Tour debut! #CordobaOpen pic.twitter.com/Csfglzvmxy
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 7, 2024
"
I am very happy
. I dedicate it to my family. I was controlling well, but it is never easy to close a match, especially against Schwartzman. I am happy to have won my first ATP match," declared Román after needing four
match points
to define a triumph that will possibly never be forgotten.
The young right-handed and two-handed backhand player had taken a giant step by simply securing his qualification to the main draw, after beating
Hernán Casanova
and
Marco Cecchinato
in the qualy.
Such was the importance of the situation that motivated his father to take a flight on the same Tuesday to be present at the debut of the competition, along with his coach
Leonardo Mayer
, historic champion of the 2016 Davis Cup.
"Always playing at home is special and I am happy to have won.
My dad wanted to see me here
, he was always supporting me and now he is going to stay with us these days," confirmed the 183 centimeters tall debutant.
Now, with a place secured in the next round of the 250 category tournament, Román will face the German
Yannick Hanfmann (59th)
on Thursday , who has just won against the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas.
Enough excuse for Jorge to extend his stay in Córdoba and continue enjoying some of his favorite sports.
Burruchaga with his coach Leo Mayer after a runner-up finish.
Photo: @romanburruchaga
Yes, because
tennis also came to cross the life of the Independiente idol
.
It happened during his time at Nantes in France, where he took classes and participated in some tournaments, although his highest vocation was always to inflate nets.
Like father Like Son.
Because just as Burruchaga Sr. takes up the racket as a
hobby
, his son Román did the same with
soccer
.
It even became his favorite sport until he was 8 years old when he learned about tennis and it drove him crazy.
He did it at River, a club where he played ball as a boy.
After some time carrying out both sports at the Núñez institution,
Román decided to go all-in on tennis
.
And from a young age he made it clear that he inherited his father's gift for sports.
In 2016 he was part of the team that established Argentina as Under 14 world champion. Just as his father scored in the final, Burru won his respective match in the final against China.
In addition, he also became South American champion in 2018.
Thus, after playing thousands of youth competitions, since the beginning of 2019, Román began to forge his path in tennis by competing in several
ITF and Challenger category tournaments
.
Although it would not be until mid-2021, being trained by
Mariano Hood
and
Mariano Monachesien
, when at the
M15 in Gdynia
, Poland, he would win his first title as a professional.
Burruchaga's son dreams big after beating Peque Schwartzman.
Photo: @romanburruchaga.
Lifting the trophy allowed the boy to become a
Top 700 player
.
Who would tell him that three years later he is wandering through the waters occupied by the top 100 in the world rankings, with a victory against a former top 8 in the world on his back, as Peque Schwartzman turns out to be.
However, just like in singles, Burru also stands out in doubles.
She is positioned
291st in the ranking
- she was 191st - after achieving her best streak during 2021 and 2022:
she raised three M15s and won the Challenger in Seville
, never repeating a pair in each of the consecrations.
By closing last year with a runner-up finish in Brazil, the experience he has been accumulating year after year allowed Román the chance to aspire to a dream season.
This was demonstrated by participating in the ATP 250 qualifiers
in Hong Kong
and none other than the
Australian Open
.
After being eliminated in both, the third time was the charm and now he aspires to continue advancing in the Córdoba Open in what represents the beginning of the tour on clay.
"The idea is to climb the ranking as much as possible, learning, training and improving, and then the results come," Román analyzed after his night of glory.
He seems to be clear about the steps to follow to begin to leave his name written within Argentine tennis.
And he who says that, like his father in soccer, he manages to rub shoulders with the best in the world.