Zapata remains on the verge of his first final

After two fantastic weeks of Bernabe Zapata in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro they have lacked the prize of their first ATP final. In Argentina he was not so close in the semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz, as it did happen this Saturday in Brazil against Cameron Norrie. After a bad start, the Spaniard fought hard to consummate the comeback, but he fell just short: 6-2, 3-6 and 7-6 (3) in 2h29. In fact, he had a break point to get to 6-5 and served in that third set of a match of great quality, dedication and emotion.

The problem for Zapata is that he was facing the 27-year-old Briton and 13th in the world, second seeded in the tournament, who is the leader of the year in total victories (17). and in wins on clay (nine). Norrie played last week’s title match at the Argentina Open, where alcaraz took him away from the trophy. This Sunday (9:30 p.m., Movistar Deportes) he could meet the 19-year-old from Murcia again, if he beats the Chilean Nicolás Jarry in the other semifinal. British tennis is in luck, because it is the first time that it has had two ATP finalists in the same week (Andy Murray lost the one in Doha against Daniil Medvedev this Saturday). That hadn’t happened since Mark Cox and Roger Taylor coincided as finalists in 1973.

Norrie has also won 13 of his last 15 semifinals, after a shaky start to his career at 1-6. He is the only player from his country in the tournament’s nine-year history. The truth is that the game started better, with a somewhat rhythm and a left-handed tennis that Zapata choked on. The 26-year-old Valencian did not know him too well, he recognized it after beating another left-handed, Albert Ramos, in the quarterfinals.

The serve, decisive

Then Barnabas intoned… and in what way. With his tennis intensity and sound, lethal forehand shots and a commendable effort to move from one side to the other, he won over the crowd. She played a wonderful second set and repeated performance for most of the second, although she struggled at times to hold serve. In that section Cameron was better and that saved him on many occasions from succumbing to the pressure of his rival to the rest. He was also decisive in the tie-break, which ended with very good serves from Norrie and a double fault from Zapatawho leaves Rio with a good financial booty and points. On Monday it will be 42nd or 43rd in the world (20 or 21 places above where it was, 63rd)It depends on what the Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi does in the final in Marseille this Sunday against the Pole Hubert Hurkacz.