Argentine Wave Sweeps Roland-Garros as Báez Retires, Burruchaga Makes History
Four Argentine men advanced to the second round of Roland-Garros today in a dramatic day for Latin American tennis, headlined by Román Burruchaga’s first-ever Grand Slam victory after his compatriot Sebastián Báez retired mid-match in an all-Argentine showdown on Court 12.
Burruchaga, ranked 68th, was trailing 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 2-0 when Báez (64th) could no longer continue, handing the 24-year-old his maiden second-round berth at a major. Báez had stormed through the opening set and looked headed for a routine win before the match turned.
It was the fourth time Báez has retired from a Grand Slam, following pull-outs at the US Open in 2022 and 2024 and at last year’s Wimbledon. Burruchaga, the recent champion of the Latin America Open Challenger in São Paulo, will face the winner of Felix Auger-Aliassime against Daniel Altmaier for a place in the third round.
The Argentine surge did not stop there. Juan Manuel Cerúndolo dispatched Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 7-6, 7-6, while Francisco Comesaña fought past American Ethan Quinn 6-4, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4) in his Roland-Garros main-draw debut, holding nerve through two tense tiebreaks. Qualifier Facundo Díaz Acosta delivered the most emphatic statement of the afternoon, brushing aside China’s Zhizhen Zhang 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 for his first ever main-draw win in Paris.
The four Tuesday victories pushed Argentina’s first-round tally to seven men advancing, after Francisco Cerúndolo, Mariano Navone, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Thiago Tirante and veteran Marco Trungelliti had all won their openers on Sunday and Monday. Only 23rd seed Tomás Etcheverry was eliminated, falling to Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Argentina’s lone woman in the main draw, Solana Sierra, also remains alive after stunning 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-0, 7-6 (4) in her Roland-Garros debut.
Brazil’s teenage prodigy Joao Fonseca, seeded 28th, kept South American hopes alive on the men’s side with a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-2 win over French qualifier Luka Pavlovic on Sunday. The 19-year-old next faces Croatian Dino Prizmic, who recently upset Novak Djokovic in Rome. Bolivian veteran Hugo Dellien was the most notable Latin American casualty of the opening days, falling to Frenchman Valentin Royer in straight sets.
The second round begins Wednesday, with Trungelliti facing 13th seed Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne Lenglen as the first Argentine in action. Comesaña draws a difficult assignment against Italian-Argentine Luciano Darderi, the 14th seed, while Juan Manuel Cerúndolo could be in line to meet world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The men’s final is scheduled for June 7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
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المصدر: Tico Times