The duel between Tomás Etcheverry (33rd ATP singles ranked) and Francisco Cerúndolo (29) was the highlight of the Argentine action on day three at the US Open. In the scorching heat of the New York summer — temperatures reached 35°C (95°F) — the two friends battled for over four hours, with Etcheverry claiming the win 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
The La Plata native struggled with the conditions. At 4-1 up in the fifth set, he suffered from dizziness and vomiting. He returned to action after being rehydrated, with the attention of a doctor. After the win, he showered his friend and rival with praise, saying the game could have gone either way. “Knowing [Cerúndolo], he must be angry with the result, and I would’ve been if I’d lost,” he added.
The two have known each other since they were playing in U-10 tournaments. Before the match, Etcheverry described losing to Cerúndolo the first time they played. “It was a semi-final in Cariló and we were about 9 years old. The winner took home the most beautiful trophy I’ve seen in my life to this day,” he told the ATP Tour site. “I cried so much that my family was worried.”
On Friday, Etcheverry will face world number four Alexander Zverev, who steamrolled France’s Alexandre Müller (77) 6-4, 7-6, 6-1.
It wasn’t the only important result for the Argentine Legion. Francisco Comesaña (108) pulled one of the upsets of the tournament, beating France’s Ugo Humbert (17) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours of play.
The Mar del Plata native even walked off with one of the most spectacular points of the tournament.
“I owe a lot to my parents, for all they have done for me,” an emotional Comesaña said after celebrating the win with them. He dedicated the victory to his mother, for whom the match made a fantastic birthday gift. “Having them here was a plus for me, with all the energy they’ve brought from Buenos Aires.”
In July, Comesaña became the first Argentine tennis player to reach the third round in his Wimbledon debut since David Nalbandian, days after beating world number six Andrey Rublev.
On Friday he will face the U.S. player Taylor Fritz (12), who beat Italian Matteo Berrettini (44) 6-3, 7-6, 6-1.
The good news ends there for the Argentine Legion. Sebastián Báez (23), the country’s leading tennis star, struggled with a foot injury and was barely able to put up a fight against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (40). He called it a day when the game was 6-1, 2-0 in favor of his rival.
“I woke up with a bad pain in my foot. It happened overnight and I couldn’t play,” said Báez after the game, who was coming off a three and a half-hour battle to overcome Argentine-born Italian Luciano Darderi. The cause of the injury is still unknown, and Báez will have studies done when he returns to Argentina, he said.