Between the tears that showed the pain of defeat, the Argentine Diego Schwartzman said goodbye to the tournament Roland Garrosthe one that gave him the most glory, where he will not be able to play in the final draw after falling this Wednesday in the second round of the qualifying phase.
The 2020 finalist bowed out to the Frenchman Quentin Halys through 4-6, 6-4 and 7-6 (10-7) in a duel full of emotions, in the court of Suzanne Lenglen, where the public was divided between the love for “Peque” and what they felt for the venue.
“I think the last game here symbolizes what my whole career has been like. Roland Garros has always been very special to me. Thank you for everything. It’s not easy to play here against a Frenchman, but I feel at home,” said the Buenos Aires native.
Schwartzman, who at the age of 31 announced that he will end his career after the tournament in Buenos Aires next year, has not missed any appointment in the Roland Garros final draw since 2014.
There he wrote some of the best pages of his career, such as the quarterfinals in 2018 where he was with Rafael Nadal in a set and a half, the first set the Spaniard lost in 37 on the clay of Paris.
But due to rain, the match was suspended and Nadal regained his best version to win.
Two years later, their paths crossed again, but this time in the semifinals. The first of a great achievement by the little player from Buenos Aires, which although he could not surpass the Spaniard again, it helped him to have his best season, entering the “top-10” in the first chance and finished that year with the eight best in the world which gave him access to the Masters Tournament.
Last season, Schwartzmann would remain last in the final draw of the Parisian clay court, he did not get past the third round against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“I am not going to forget any of those matches, not even this one,” said the Argentine, who recalled that he bid farewell to the tournament on the same day and in the same round as the tournament’s double finalist (2018 and 2019), the Austrian who Dominic Thiem , who will retire from tennis at the end of the year and fell to Finnish Otto Virtanen, 156 in the world, 22 years old, 6-2 and 7-5.
The emotion on Schwartzman’s face made it clear that he was living “a special, unique, very emotional year.”
“El Peque” was not the only Argentine to attend the Roland Garros court this Wednesday.
In a clash between Argentines, Facundo Bagnis defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-4, 6-2 and is one victory away from returning, at the age of 34, to the final draw of Roland Garros for the fourth time, a decade after the last .
His last obstacle to achieve this is Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki, 163 in the world at the age of 20.
Young Román Burruchaga, 145 in the world at 22, also continued his dream in Paris, beating Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-2, 6-4 to stay one step away from entering the final draw of the Grand Slam for the first time of the clay.
The son of the legendary soccer player Jorge Burruchaga, the author of the goal that gave the “albiceleste” the World Cup in Mexico 86, had to win it against the Slovak veteran Jozef Kovalik, 31 years old, 146th in the world ranking.
Marco Trungelliti did not have the same fate, who in his quest to enter the final draw for the fourth time, the first since 2018, fell against the Canadian Gabriel Diallo, 166 in the world at 22 years old, in a contested match ended. in over three hours, 7-6(6), 3-6 and 6-4.
In the women’s team, Julia Riera made it past the second round of qualifying by defeating Frenchwoman Harmony Tan, 6-3, 6-2, in the match that opened the day at the Suzanne Lenglen court.
The one from Pergamino, 93rd in the world at the age of 21, will face the Filipino Alexandra Eala, 160th in the ranking and 18 years old. EFE
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Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
