05/02/2024 19:48hs.
The Davis Cup activity passed and tennis traveled to Córdoba for the start of the South American tour on clay. And this Monday, Facundo Bagnis (207th) gave the surprise and defeated an unknown Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (148th) 6-4 and 6-2, in the debut in the tournament defended by Sebastián Báez.
The man from Santa Fe, who won the Buenos Aires II challenger at the beginning of the season, advanced for the second time to the round of 16 of the ATP 250 that is held at the Kempes Sports Center. And he did it with a great level against Juanma, champion of the 2021 edition.
Bagnis is upright (@CórdobaOpen).
The match started with an advantage for Cerúndolo in the first set, but he quickly returned it and Bagnis turned the story around, leading 5-3. However, at that moment, Rulo’s brother showed up, won a tight game and got excited again. But again Bagnis hit the table and broke to take the first set.
The second set cleared up the doubts and Bagnis ended the match quickly: grabbed clean and jerk in the final stretch and won five of the last six games to continue advancing.
The Armstrong native will play the round of 16 of an ATP tournament after seven months and he is in good shape: he won nine of the last 10 matches he played on the circuit, he will return to the top 180 in the ranking and he beat the 2021 champion, who had a festival of errors, with an excellent level.
With this victory, he closed the gap with Cerúndolo in history: I had lost the previous two times, 7-6 (2) and 7-6 (6) in the quarterfinals of the Montevideo challenger and 6-4 and 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Buenos Aires challenger.
Cerúndolo won the tournament in 2021. (IG/juanmacerundolo)
Bagnis, who comes from qualifying for the Córdoba competition, will face the winner of Mariano Navone (118th), who entered with a wild card, and the Spanish Roberto Carballés Baena (65°).
“It was a strange game, I expected something else, it was difficult for me at first because of the heat but it was a difficulty for him and I could see it. The first set was even and in the second I loosened up a little more and I won the majority of the points,” Facundo analyzed, post-victory.
Furthermore, he added: “I rested well and was well prepared for a much more physically demanding match. It is not easy to recover quickly at this age and I came from qualifying. I tried to make short points so as not to have such a large energy expenditure.. “I am one of the worst ranked in the main draw so I have to use experience to my advantage, the level is very even.”
Came in through the window
Thiago Tirante (109th), finalist of the Punta del Este challenger who had been left out of the tournament in the classification against Bagnis, He will enter as a lucky loser due to the injury of Chilean Alejandro Tabilofinalist in 2022.
Bagnis goes with Navone or Carballés.
record Córdoba
There are 14 Argentines that appear in the main draw, the highest number in an ATP tournament since Viña del Mar in 2008 when there were 13. And since not all the tops are there, as will happen in a few days in Buenos Aires (Alcaraz, Norrie, Jarry, Fils, Wawrinka, etc) due to a calendar issue, it will be a vital opportunity for each of them to try to win an elite title and to climb further in the ranking.
2024-02-05 22:48:32
#Argentine #winner #Córdoba #Open #Bagnis #beat #weak #Cerúndolo #Olé
