Cachín will face French Gaston in the third round. Photo Julian Finney / Getty Images / AFP
“Game, set, match, Cachín”. The referee’s voice could barely be heard in the air on pitch 12’s Flushing Mewssuffocated by the audience’s celebration, while he, Pedro Cachin, lay on his stomach in the field, with his face hidden in his arms, crying. They were beautiful tears of happiness, because Cordovan had just signed another one epic return before the American Brandon Holt to enter the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The duel was a five-set battle against a talented player, 303rd in the standings, 24 years old and the son of local legend Tracy Austin, who had just lost his compatriot on his debut. Taylor Fritz, 11th seed. Three hours and 44 minutes of a very tough match, in which the 27-year-old Argentine overcame a two-set-to-zero disadvantage and ended up winning by 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) and 7-6 (10-6) to take a step forward US Open 2022.
“I hadn’t even finished the game and I was almost crying. And I’m not one who gets very excited. But that’s what Grand Slams generate. Many memories came to mind,” he said in a chat with ESPN the one born in Bell Ville, a real racketeer fighter, who has been experiencing the best moment of his career for months.
Cachín is part of that world of players who are making their way with so much effort, far from the splendor of world-class tennis in which the great stars of the circuit move. He started his professional career in 2013, but was only able to play his first main draw on a “big” in May, at Roland Garros. Just seven weeks ago he managed to break into the top 100. And this Wednesday, on New York hard courts, he scored the most important victory of his career.
Because it allowed him to break a unprecedented barrier for him at this level of tournaments, where he is playing his second main draw. Because it guaranteed him to make a new leap in the ATP rankings and to enter the top 50 for the first time. And also because it guaranteed him a prize of 188 thousand dollarsan amount slightly less than almost 220 thousand who had won so far in this 2022; not a small fact for him, who on the circuit practically accumulates all the expenses of his life by himself, because he has it only one sponsorYonex, which supplies rackets and equipment.
“These tournaments are the best, they change everything. Points and money. They allow you to better plan the future and make you believe in the present,” he said after his debut, who plays in clothes without a visible brand.
Despite crying this Wednesday in New York – where he has his fans, because 10 members of his family visited him – Cachín hasn’t stopped smiling for months. After many years of struggling with her in the lower levels of professional tennis, he was finally able to join the elite.
Based in Barcelona since 2014, where he met alex corretja, former world number two, second father to him and who continues to accompany him, won his first Challenger title in 2015, in Seville. But then he fell into a rut he had a hard time getting out of.
In addition to that, he sustained serious injuries. He sustained a stress fracture to one of his vertebrae in May 2016. And he tore his ankle ligaments in July 2019, months after reaching the quarter-finals in Cordobahis best ATP tournament to date, and made headlines for sending a stringing machine he used in his early years to a Congo boy, to replace the cane the boy used as a tool.
It took him a while to feel good on the pitch again and when he was finally recovering the good feelings, the coronavirus pandemic slowed the circuit for five months and the ranking froze, preventing him from translating the good results into climbs in. classification . He continued to work and in this 2022 he managed to make a big leap thanks to his exceptional performances in challenger-tour.
So far this season he has won four trophies and played three more finals on the circuit. Prior to his stay in Paris, where he played his first main draw in a Grand Slam (he came in as a lucky underdog, after failing to qualify, and lost in the second round), he was a finalist in marbella and turned the headlines Madrid Y prague. After losing in the previous stage of Wimbledonwas crowned Todi and reached the final in Veronawhich allowed him to enter the top 100 for the first time. And two weeks ago, just before traveling to New York, he was crowned Santo Domingoon brick dust, and climbed to the 66th step, his best ranking to date.
“This year I have taken a big step forward and everything that comes will do me good. That’s why I try to live it fully,” he said on Monday. “When I took that leap, my fear was that I didn’t know what was going to happen and not be up to it, but it also took the pressure off me. I’m having a lot of fun, even if I try to live it very naturally. Way, trying not to be something different for this it is not difficult for me to manage my emotions “.
Against Holt, in the second five-set match of his career – in the first round he had beaten 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6 and 7-6 (10-6) against Aljaz Bedène-, he showed great temperament and intelligence and managed, with patience and good play, to overturn a complicated scenario.
“I had played the first night shift and today the pitch seemed too fast. At first it was consistent and efficient and I, annoyed and anxious, wanted to finish the points quickly and couldn’t. Once I found the pace of the pitch and the way to interpret it, I understood what I had to do, “he said.
“After losing the first two sets, I thought ‘I can’t do worse’ And another game has begun. I started competing for all points. Winning the third set gave me a lot of confidence and I took advantage of it, “added Cordovan, who will face the French on Friday. Ugo Gaston. Yes, the same one who eliminated him at Roland Garros.
“If there is a chance you want to grab as a player, it will be in a Grand Slam. It is a pleasure to be in the third round and I will continue to give everything as I did,” concluded Cachín. the tennis fighter who is still active in New York.
Source: Clarin
