“This is incredible, he is one of my heroes,” he said. Mariano Navone (59th) on Thursday, when he won over Stan Wawrinkathe Swiss legend, and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 de Marrakesh, the beautiful city of Morocco. A precise combination of mind and heart. The same dose of strength that she exhibited this Friday: she played well again and won. In another convincing performance, the Argentine tennis player defeated the Australian 6-2 and 6-4 Aleksandar Vukic (67°) in a true exhibition, he agreed to his second ATP semi-final and will climb to your best historical ranking.
Joining the wonderful circle of the 50 best in the world is no longer a utopia. Who would have thought it, just a handful of months ago. This 2024 looks like a dream. A dream turned into reality. After reaching the final in Rio de Janeiro last February (where he lost to Sebastian Baez) his dizzying performance allowed him to rise 54 places in the ranking. The young man born on 9 de Julio, province of Buenos Aires, 23 years old and seventh favorite on this occasion, is living his first ATP experiences outside of South America with a hot hand.
The owner of five challenger titles has an unforgettable week. Navone is playing for the first time as a seed (number 7), no less, after long years in the minor leagues, and he is not under the pressure. In Rio de Janeiro he made the great leap in quality; After that major impact, he stopped the machine, physically and mentally worn out and preferred to avoid the Masters 1000 of Indian Wells y Miami.
Despite choosing to stay away from the circuit for a month, he is in full force, physically and mentally. His numbers are as fabulous as they are unexpected. In this match, he reached a needle (not its main virtue) 89% of points won with its first serve, three breaks and no chance of breakage suffered in just 81 minutes of a kind of monologue.
The rising young man, who had beaten the Tunisian guest Aziz Dougaz Before sweeping Great Stan in the previous stages, he sealed his second place among the four best at the highest level, both in the current season, after the brilliant role played in Brazil, where he only lost in the decisive instance against Sebastian Baezalso in magnificent season.
The pupil of Andrés Dellatorre, who With his victory this Friday he secured 51st place in the next ranking, Now he will have a major challenge against the experienced Italian Matteo Berrettini (135°), 27 years old, former world number 6 and five-time Tour champion; The giant eliminated his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 and 7-6 (7-5). If he beats him in the semifinal this Saturday, Navone will already enter the top 50 in the world. The match will begin at 10:30, Argentina time.
In the other part of the draw, the semifinal will pit the Spanish Roberto Carballés against the Russian Pavel Kotov. Carballés beat the American of Spanish origins Nicolás Moreno de Alborán 6-4, 4-6 and 6-4, while Kotov went over the Italian Fabio Fognini, with a resounding 6-1 and 6-2.
In addition, Tomás Etcheverry qualified for the semifinals of the ATP 250 de Houston, after beating Michael Mmoh 6-3, 0-1 and abandoning due to injury. The player from La Plata, 30th in the ranking, was one step away from repeating his 2023 performance, when he reached the final and fell in the definition against the local Frances Tiafoe. Now, at 24 years old, seeks his first title at ATP level; will play this Saturday with the local Ben Shelton (at 3:00 p.m., Argentina time)who beat his compatriot Brandon Nakashima by a tight 7-5 and 7-6 (9).