Francisco Comesaña (122th ATP singles) shocked the tennis world as he beat world number six Andrey Rublev by 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in two hours and 58 minutes of play in day two of Wimbledon 2024. It was only the Mar del Plata native’s second game played on grass, as well as his Grand Slam debut and his first game against a top ten ranked player.

“It’s my first time here, I’ve always dreamt of playing at Wimbledon. I’m so happy, I don’t know what to say,” said an emotional Comesaña after the game.  “I think I was very lucky today, I don’t know how I did it. I think I just enjoyed the game, the court, and the fans, and played my best.”

He’ll now face Australian Adam Walton (101) — who beat Argentine Federico Coria 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 — on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Tomás Etcheverry beat Italian Luca Nardi by 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in almost two hours of play on Tuesday. He’ll face the winner of the clash between Australian Alexei Popyrin on Thursday. 

Etcheverry and Comesaña’s wins put an end to a dreadful start for Argentine tennis stars. The tournament opener on Monday proved tough for Argentine tennis as all three debutants were eliminated, losing all eight sets played.

Top ranked Argentine Sebastián Báez (18th ATP singles) had a manageable debut on paper, taking on U.S. player Brandon Nakashima (65). However, the San Martin native was unable to show his best tennis on a surface that has traditionally punished defensive players, as shown by his 0-3 record on grass this season up to this point. He lost 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in almost two hours of play.

It was a lot closer for Mariano Navone (32), who put up a big fight against Italian Lorenzo Sonego. However, the Italian’s impressive serving record proved too much for the Argentine, who eventually lost  6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in two hours and 26 minutes. 

Nadia Podoroska (65th WTA singles), one of only three Argentine representatives in the women’s singles draw, was the last to fall. She fell 6-1, 7-6 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska after one hour and 34 minutes of play. 

It hasn’t been her best season so far, with an 18-18 récord — her best result a final in the San Luis Open in March — and, like Báez, has no wins on grass so far.