Aitor Aranguren needs his best version on Sunday. /
He admits that playing with a champion like Altuna “is a joy”, but that it also implies pressure that he will try to avoid in the semifinal
Aitor Aranguren (Aginaga, 2000) will play one of the most important matches of his still short professional career on Sunday. Along with Altuna III, Olaizola II and Zabaleta will be measured for a place in the final of the CaixaBank Masters. The Gipuzkoan defender has applied in the summer tournament and is where he wanted. At 21 years old, and barely three as a professional, he has earned the trust of the company and is responding. “Apart from a couple of games, the feelings in the championship have been quite good.”
Evolve properly. In the last Couples he started, and such a long and demanding tournament served him to take the measure of the competition between the greats. “I learned a lot in different aspects because it was very tough and I had different forwards due to injuries.”
In the mixed couples tournament of the summer season, the champion Altuna III was his partner. After a good league, they lost the option of going directly to the semifinals on the last day. They went home “with a bad taste in their mouths”, but in the play-off they reset and were again a solid combination that reached its goal. Playing with number one was something new for him, but he admits that “it’s a joy.” “We get along well, which is the important thing, and we have managed to blend in.” However, it also has a more complicated part due to the added pressure that comes from having to achieve minimum objectives. «More is demanded of you, and you have to know how to carry it. I think we are both doing well in this regard. I prefer to stay with the positive, because in case of pressure I would lower my level ».
“A new party”
It happened to him in the previous confrontation against Olaizola II and Zabaleta. So they were in the fight for one of the places at the top of the classification and things did not work out. The scoreboard says it all. The Navarrese won 7-22. This time Aranguren will come out on the court differently. “It is a new party.” He knows that he has a very complicated duel because in his field he faces the defender who makes the most differences today. «Zabaleta does many things well. Over time he has learned to play air, not to fail, to cover the court … But we are going to fight to try to make things difficult for them.
Goizueta’s and Etxarren’s will start as favorites, “so the pressure will be on them. We have to do our job. In my case, lose little ball and take advantage of what I have to put it back and get close “. If you manage to make your opponent uncomfortable, your partner will have more options to bring out his quality and the forces can be matched. Aginaga’s bodyguard knows that he still has a lot to learn and that he physically has a longer route, so he applies in training. Meetings like the one on Sunday also teach a lot.
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