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Updated Friday 1 p.m.

Thursday at the 2025 Argentina Open dawned with the prospect of all Argentines except Francisco Cerúndolo being knocked out of the singles draw. The trio of Federico Coria, Diego Schwartzman, and Mariano Navone had their work cut out for them, as they all faced tough matches.

Navone had the responsibility to save Argentine hopes when he opened the night shift against Denmark’s Holger Rune (12 ATP singles ranked). It was a tall ask for the Argentine, who came into the match with an 0-7 record vs. Top-20 ranked players. However, Navone quickly flipped the script to seal a 6-1, 7-6 (2) win.

The Argentine player raced to a 3-0 lead after breaking the Dane’s serve. Rune struggled to get into the game, committing many unforced errors. He dropped another serving game later on to allow Navone to wrap up the first set.

The second set proved a much more even affair. With Navone still aggressive and pushing Rune, the Dane raised his game, adding accuracy to his explosive groundstrokes and keeping the game tight. He also showed a bit of his controversial side, requesting the umpire step into the court to check a ball bounce. That’s no longer allowed since the tournament uses electronic line checking, and his insistence earned him plenty of boos from the crowd.

The game went to a tiebreak, where Navone’s consistency paid dividends. Rune looked visibly uncomfortable, complaining about the court’s condition and taking rushed decisions during rallies. Undisturbed by the Dane’s tirades and taking advantage of the fans’ clamor, Navone went on to achieve the biggest win in his career.

Rune later apologized to the Argentine crowd on X.

“Looking back, I think it was too early to play after my influenza last week,” he wrote. “My shoulder was not working, and the whole body seemed extremely vulnerable.”

“When the body is not there, the brain shuts down, and I am just very sorry I couldn’t deliver what I wanted on court today. Sorry Argentina”

Navone will go up against João Fonseca for a spot in the semifinals.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti (16) closed down the night, beating Frenchman Corentin Moutet (66) 6-2, 6-3. The match was inevitably marked by the Frenchman’s unorthodox style and showmanlike behavior.

The first set was a fairly straightforward story, as Musetti comfortably navigated Moutet’s irregular shot-making to clinch the set without much trouble.

In the second set, however, Moutet’s antics started to put their mark on the match. The Frenchman, who last year drew laughs as well as angry comments by drinking a cola soft drink during a match, managed to get a big chunk of the fans on his side.

From throwing his racket to the bench with a basketball-shot move to serving underhand to confuse his rival and celebrating in Spanish, the Frenchman was able to rattle Musetti and deliver a much more entertaining and balanced game.

In the end, however, not even these antics managed to save Moutet. Musetti broke his serve at 3-2 and kept his advantage to wrap up the second set.

“Italy and Argentina have a good relationship; it’s not a big rivalry,” Musetti told the Herald after the game. “I tried talking in Spanish today, and I hope the public appreciates it. A lot of Italians came here so we’re a bit intertwined. [Charming the crowd] wasn’t easy today because Corentin put on a bit of a show, but with patience and without complaining, I kept my cool.”

Earlier in the day, Schwartzman (386 ATP singles ranked) retired from the sport after losing 6-2, 6-2 to Spain’s Pedro Martinez (41). The former world number eight had announced his intention to retire after the tournament. However, fans had been holding their breath after he beat Chile’s Nicolás Jarry in a three-set battle on Wednesday.

It was a great performance — but one whose toll would become obvious early on in Thursday’s match. A confident Martínez showcased his shotmaking range and raced to a 4-0 lead in the first twenty minutes. Despite a late push from Schwartzmann, Martínez was able to wrap up the first set.

The story was much the same in the second, with Schwartzman’s inaccurate shots and deepening defense showing he didn’t have much left in the tank. A push at 3-2, when he had two opportunities to equalize the match, gave fans hope — but Martínez shot down any chances of a comeback.

An unstoppable roar

In the final game, with Martínez serving 5-2 up, the fans’ roar became unstoppable, delaying play more than once. “El Peque” (The Little One) as Schwartzmann is affectionately known, gifted fans one last great point, attacking relentlessly like in his prime. 

“I would’ve loved to have a few more [shots] like those,” Schwartzman told the Herald at the press conference. “Having that back and forth with the fans and making good rallies really pushes you. I hurt my fingers in the second game of the match, and I couldn’t really hit many shots like that. It made me a lot less competitive and that made me angry. But that last shot, even if I couldn’t break his serve, was really fun.”

In the end, neither the fans nor his rival affected Martínez, who wrapped up the match the very next point.

After the match, Schwartzman received a tribute video with messages from his family and friends. He thanked the fans and everyone in his career who had helped him to achieve the highlights. He retires a four-time ATP title winner, including the 2021 Buenos Aires tournament.

Third-youngest match winner

Brazilian teenage sensation João Fonseca (99) opened the day shift by beating Federico Coria (115) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The 18-year-old was riding high after shocking home favorite Etcheverry in the first round to become the third-youngest match winner in tournament history. However, in the first set he struggled to hurt Coria, a far more solid baseliner than his previous rival. The Argentine player took advantage of Fonseca’s inconsistency.

Coria got himself in trouble in the second set, having his serve broken in the early moments. He leaned on a fiery central court crowd that’s now seen three Argentines eliminated at the hands of Brazilians, but it was to no avail: Fonseca wrapped up the second set to force a decider.

Fonseca found his Wednesday form late in the match. Coria looked increasingly out of his depth, giving visible signs of exhaustion, and had his serve broken early on. Despite some hard-fought points, Fonseca broke again at 4-2 and closed out another dominant performance.

Cover photo: Mariano Navone. Credit: Argentina Open