Why are These Events Important?
During two weeks in mid February, three ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) level tennis tournaments took place in South America. These events mean a lot to many low level tennis players who don’t get many chances to advance to higher rounds in very high level tournaments such as Grand Slams (Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, and Roland Garros) where there are many elite players competing. These South American tournaments usually host at least only one to two top players as a way to advertise the tournament.
Why Were the Winners Unexpected?
Usually, the players that win or take place in the finals are the high level players that the tournament invited to help advertise and promote the event. However, in all three of the tournaments that took place in South America, all of the high quality players lost or injured themselves in the earlier rounds. For example, players like Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) and Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) lost in earlier rounds of the Argentina Open. Cameron Norrie (GBR) also experienced defeat earlier on in the Argentina and Rio Open. This left many spectators upset, and also lead the low level players to their first tournament wins or even first match wins.
Argentina Open
The crowd was electric as Facundo Diaz Acosta (Argentina) walked onto the court and boos rang out to Nicolas Jarry (Chile) when it was his turn to enter the court. The summer heat was already taking a toll on the players even in just the warm ups. This was Facundo’s first ATP final, a big chance for the 87th worldwide ranked player at the time. The match was well played from both sides and it was a real excitement for all the spectators. Facundo Diaz Acosta obtained his first ATP Championship of his career in his home city of Buenos Aires.
Rio Open
A headline that stands out from this tournament is Carlos Alcaraz’s injury. Alcaraz, a favorite to win the tournament, rolled his ankle in the early rounds and was forced to retire from the event. This again left the low level players with chances of victory. Mariano Navone, another Argentine tennis player, was seeking his first ever ATP match win. After many upsets and well played matches, the final ended up as Mariano Navone VS Sebastian Baez. These two Argentines weren’t at all favorites to win the tournament at the start. After hard work and effort against Baez, Navone unfortunately lost giving Baez a huge tournament victory to add to his ATP profile.
Chile Open
The Chilean Open is on the smaller side of these events, which does not leave many exemplary players. Most notable players are preparing for the Indian Wells (a larger scale ATP tournament). The Chilean Open held Nicolas Jarry as the number one favorite to win the tournament. Jarry lost in the Quarterfinals to Corentin Moutet (a French player). Sebastian Baez was once again a star throughout the whole tournament and ended up in the finals vs Alejandro Tabilo, another unexpected finalist. Baez ended up winning the tournament and again, added a huge tournament victory to his career.
Conclusion
These exciting three South American tournaments ended in large victories for Argentine players, as at least one Argentine was able to win each one. The importance of these tournaments to low level tennis players cannot be overstated and gives huge chances to them. These tournaments bring high levels of excitement to spectators and players, and can sometimes even be more thrilling than larger scale tournaments.
Works Cited
ATP Tour. www.atptour.com/en/scores/archive/santiago/8996/2024/results.
“Chile Open (tennis).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile_Open_(tennis).
“Rio Open.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Open.