Roland Garros: Ugo Carabelli made history and Schwartzman achieved his 50th victory in Paris

Camilo Ugo Carabelli He made his big debut at the Grand Slams and on the ATP circuit. The 22-year-old from Buenos Aires, who until this Sunday had not even played in the main draws of the most important men’s tennis tour, won his first victory at Roland Garros and against a very stiff rival. Because he surprised the Russian in the first round of the French Open aslan karatsev39th in the world, which he beat 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 and 7-6 (10-5), in four hours and 17 minutes of play, to advance to the second round and score the best success of his career.

Until last week, in his list of ATP-level participants, the 154th number in the world ranking had only four qualifiers, one in Córdoba in 2021, two in Santiago de Chile, in the last two editions, and another in Buenos Aires, Last season. And he still has one of the “big” ones, the Australian Open being played at the start of 2022.

With very little filmmaking at this level, Ugo Carabelli landed in the French capital, where he swept the ranks. He beat Japan in two sets Yūichi Sugita (265 °), in American Ernest Escobedo (135 °) at Switzerland alexander ritschard (204 °). And the draw left him face to face with Karatsev, a 28-year-old, dangerous and experienced player, who last year reached the semifinals of the Oceanic Grand Slam and in February occupied the 14th. rank step.

None of those credentials scared the Argentine, who, unbeaten, played a great game, tennis, physically and mentally. In a very close match, what happened in a tense fifth set clarified Ugo Carabelli’s potential.

This is the man from Buenos Aires, who a few weeks ago won his second Challenger title in Buenos Aires, had to row all the chapters from the back. He first lifted 0-3 and was about to equalize the score. But when he was serving in the sixth game, the Russian, tight and all, again broke his serve to make it 4-2.

After a few games, there was no room for error and with his rival serving to close out the match, the Argentine played an impressive game, added another break and then tied the set 5-5. And it all ended up being defined in a super tie break, the first in tournament history, that changed the rules for the fifth set this year.

In the tiebreaker, Ugo Carabelli seems like a more experienced player. Without shaking his wrist because of the rival in front of him, the setting and the circumstances, he prevailed by a wide margin and sealed his bruise in the second round, where he would face the Canadian. Felix Auger-Aliassimeninth favorite.

When the Russian’s return extended to that last point, he dropped the racket to the ground, raised his arms and exchanged a smile with his team, celebrating the stands. But immediately tears of joy flowed, and rightly so.

It was that the porteño not only played and won his first match on the major tennis circuit. He also achieved the best victory of his career in what was his first match against a top 40 player. Until yesterday, his most important victory-when it comes to rival rank-was against the Spanish. Peter Martinez77th in the standings, at the Challenger in Luedenscheid, Germany, in August last year.

And in passing, he became the youngest Argentine to win a main draw match at Roland Garros since Diego Schwartzman in 2015.

Born in Buenos Aires on June 17, 1999, Ugo Carabelli started playing tennis at the club Harrods Gath & Keys of Belgrano. For several years he divided his time between racket and soccer ball, his other passion. But when he had to choose, he had no doubt. “I prefer soccer, but I’m better at racket,” he admitted in a conversation with Clarín last year.

He didn’t seem to make a mistake. Since yesterday, he has made his debut which has made a lot of noise at Roland Garros and clarified that he has tennis and the head to go far.

Schwartzman’s 50th victory

On May 25, 2014, on the clay of Roland Garros, Diego Schwartzman played and won his first Grand Slam main draw match. Almost exactly eight years later, also in Parisian brick dust reached, this Sunday, a very special mark. Because he beat Russia 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 and 6-2 Andrei Kuznetsov227th in the world, on his debut in the 2022 edition of the French “excellent” and scored the 50th success of his career in a Major.

“Statistics like this don’t stop attracting my attention. Because even though I’m confident in what I’m doing and I know that by playing well I can win a lot of games, these are things that raise the us in the work we do ”, commented Peque after the game.

The man from Buenos Aires, 16th in the ranking, has come a long way at this level since Roland Garros 2014 which marked the first time he has entered a main draw at this level. Eight years ago, he arrived in Paris as 109th in the world, surpassed the classification, beating the Portuguese in the main draw debut Gastao Elias (178th) and fell in the second round against Roger Federer, then number one in the world.

Now he has played 80 games at that level, with 50 wins, 19 of which he got in the French capital. There he also signed his best historical performance in a “big”. It was in 2020 convulsing pandemic, when the tournament was played in late September and early October, with temperatures lower than usual.

El Peque arrived with confidence, after reaching the final in Rome, with a victory over Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, Denis Shapovalov in the semis and defeat to Novak Djokovic in the race for the title. In the French “big” he consistently advanced to the quarterfinals, on that occasion he surprised Austrian Dominic Thiem, third in the ranking at the time, and then said goodbye to the semifinals, losing to Rafebecome champion.

In Paris, the man from Buenos Aires has won at least one game for six consecutive seasons on the orange field of Bois de Boulogne. The last time he fell in the first round was in 2016, when he lost to Guido Pella. And this Sunday he reached 50 wins in a “big”.

“I follow those statistics because they give me a guide that one is doing things well over the years. Hopefully I can continue to improve on them,” Schwartzman acknowledged. Although he also admitted that in order to feed the list of wins in his next match, he will need to improve a few things in his game before his second round against Spaniard Jaume Munar.

“It was a strange game from my side. I have to correct several things, luckily I have two days for the next one. I didn’t feel completely comfortable, the field was slow, it was complicated by the drizzle. It’s important to win uncomfortably, but better win to feel good.Today I pulled it in. I went through the round and I’m happy to have the opportunity to do things better in the coming days “, he reviews.

And he’s excited: “Hopefully I get to the second week. It’s something I’ve been able to achieve many times over the years and gives you a lot of confidence, and brings respect to rivals. Going as far as possible. .here is something very important to me. “

The first day of competition in Paris was not perfect for the Argentines, as Juan Ignacio Londero, 142nd in the ranking, said goodbye to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, number six in the world and one of the great favorites for the title.

Cordovan, who entered as lucky loser, from high to low against a rival who, once he let go, ended up giving a tennis exhibition. Murcian, the player of the moment on the ATP circuit and recent champion in Madrid, prevailed by a solid 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 and advanced to the second round.