A total of six Spanish rackets started in the draw for the main draw of the Argentina Open last Saturday, but only four of them could be in the second round. And so it will be. Only four, because luck provided two fully Spanish clashes.
The last of them was held this Tuesday with Roberto Carballés Baena as the protagonist, beating Albert Ramos Viñolas 7-5, 6-4. In two hours and 16 minutes he became the fourth Spaniard in the second round in Buenos Aires.
Previously, Bernabé Zapata Miralles, who defeated his compatriot Pedro Martínez, and Jaume Munar, who beat local guest Guido Pella, had achieved it. For his part, Carlos Alcaraz was already classified to the second round, having a ‘bye’ thanks to his status as seed No.1.
The Murcian will face off at his debut this season against the Serbian Laslo Djere. Carballés managed to inaugurate his record of victories in this South American tour on clay. And it is that last week at the Córdoba Open he was also framed in the first round against a compatriot.
In this case, Zapata Miralles, who won the longest game in the history of the tournament, after three hours and 26 minutes. The player born in Tenerife 29 years ago raised the number of direct aces to 11, while his success rate with first services was 69%.
Although his great virtue this Tuesday was his ability to save up to eight of the nine break chances that he conceded to a great subtractor like Ramos. In the second round he will face Tomás Etcheverry, who was able to recover in a tough clash against Hugo Dellien 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes.
For the Argentine it was also his second win of the season and his first in the main draw in Buenos Aires. The other Hispanic who advanced this Tuesday in Buenos Aires was Juan Pablo Varillas, from the previous phase.
Alcaraz on his recent troubles
Carlos Alcaraz has expressed his delight at having received a staggering reception from the crowd.
“I didn’t expect such a great crowd, a great atmosphere behind me. So I just can say thank you to all the fans here in Buenos Aires for the warm welcome that I received in this first match and I hope to keep going with this energy,” he said after the match.
“It’s a great feeling to win again. It’s been a long time for me with no competition, with no matches, just recovering. Finally I got my first win of 2023,” expressed the 19-year-old.
