Tomás Etcheverry Advances to Lyon ATP Final: A Prelude to Roland Garros

Escuchar

Good vibes for Tomas Etcheverry in the prelude to the Grand Slam emblem of brick dust. With just a few days left until the start of Roland Garros, the tennis player from La Plata took a big step to gain confidence: he advanced to the final of the ATP 250 in Lyon after beating, in an hour and a half of play, the Argentine nationalized Italian Luciano Darderi (47th), 6-2 and 6-4, and will play this Saturday, starting at 9:30, the decisive match against the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who in the second round won over the Kazakh Aleksandr Bublik 6-4 and 7-5.

It was the charm for Etcheverry, 24, who in 2024 had been on the verge of a final twice (fell in the semifinals in Houston and Barcelona with those who would later become champions, Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud, respectively). This time he achieved it against the one born in Villa Gesell, who represents the Italian flag. In this way, in addition, Etcheverry will begin the Roland Garros week with a small rise in the ranking, from 29th to 27th place. At Roland Garros, where he will debut against the local Arthur Cazaux (77th), he will defend the 360 ​​points achieved for having reached the quarterfinals in 2023.

It was the 50th victory on the circuit (50-55) and he reaches his third ATP Tour final, where he will seek his first title, after the defeats in the definitions of Santiago 2023 (against the Chilean Nicolás Jarry) and Houston 2023 (against the American Frances Tiafoe).

Tomás Etcheverry defeated Luciano Darderi and reached the final of the Lyon ATP

Supported by his serve, Etcheverry ruled the first set with authority, got two aces and broke twice to close at 6-2. The second chapter was not the same, in which Darderi adjusted his game and evened out the development. The closest was the eighth game, where the player from La Plata was cornered with his serve, but emerged victorious after three break risks. That blow served as a clean and jerk for Etcheverry and clearly acted as a painful emotional impact for Darderi, who lost his serve in the following game. The nationalized Italian went to half-time furious at the missed opportunities and Etcheverry was left with the game.

The serve was key: 8 aces and a very high percentage of points won with his first serve. Furthermore, he took advantage of three of the six break chances he had; quite the opposite of Darderi, who did not take advantage of any of the three chances he had.

“I am very happy to have reached the final. France is special to me. Fortunately I was able to play well and I hope to do so tomorrow as well. I feel very comfortable playing here, next week is Roland Garros, my favorite tournament. I hope I can continue at this level and improve it,” said Tomás, still on the court, shortly after the match, and ended with a smile when instead of English he ended up answering in Spanish.

Then, calmer, he analyzed the match: “It was a great match. I always tried to be calm, I think it was the way to play my best tennis. I had complications in the second set, I had a complicated game with my serve in which he had many chances and luckily I was able to continue in the match, very firmly. Tomorrow, a final: I’m going to try to go all out, I hope I can win it, I’m showing a high level, either of the two rivals are good servers.”

Now, Etcheverry will seek his first title against an opponent he has never faced. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 20 years old, is in 117th place in the ranking and is absolutely local, since he was born in Lyon. This year he won three Challenger tournaments: in Nottingham (England), Cuernavaca and Acapulco (both in Mexico).

LA NACIONGet to know The Trust Project
2024-05-24 15:54:00
#France #suits #Etcheverry #Roland #Garros #preview #won #play #Lyon #final