Garin and Tabilo in Masters 1000 mode: this Friday they will seek passage to the third round of Indian Wells

The national delegation which went to California draws happy accounts. Christian Garin (97th) and Alejandro Tabilo (187th) landed in the United States to contest the first Masters 1000 qualifiers of the season and they achieved much more than that. This Friday they will play the second round of the Indian Wells main draw.

Ideal scenario for the nationals, who arrived in the western desert lacking in victories, rhythm and points. In this way, what they can continue to do in the tournament known as the fifth great generates great excitement among Chilean fans, because the good feelings they added to Indian Wells can be the key to face the tour of the best way. European brick dust.

But we’re still thinking about what they can do in the Coachella Valley. And it is that the two South American rackets will have to go out to compete in the round of the 64 best this Friday.

Indian Wells is a breath of fresh air for Christian Garin. After a Chile Open where he managed to beat Thiem but was eliminated by Sebastián Báez, the northerner urgently needed to regain his confidence.

Something he obviously pulled off. ‘Gago’ has shown great solidity in his game, managing not to drop a set in the matches he has played this week (two qualifying matches and one in the main draw) and striking with a very aggressive on American asphalt. The combination of these elements has play the second round of a Masters 1000 for the first time since May 2022 when he made the quarter-finals in Rome.

Now your rival will be Yoshihito Nishioka (34th), who by classification and surface is the favorite . Of course, the Japanese will come without match rhythm, since being the top seed of the tournament, he will only make his debut this Friday. It will be the first time the two players have met in an ATP tournament main draw, due to their only record in the 2019 Sydney qualifiers, when the Asian was the winner.

Tabilo’s story isn’t all that different from his partner’s, but it’s more dramatic and that 2023 hadn’t brought good things for the Toronto-born man. First because He started the season in position 100 of the ATP rankings and this Monday he appeared in box 187 . Later, because in the Davis Cup series against Kazakhstan, he was not chosen to play the singles despite being the best racquet in the country at that time. And finally, because in the brick dust South American tour, he couldn’t add any wins in the main draw.

These situations had touched him and were looking for the light. The one that appeared this week. Although Tabilo didn’t show a perfect game in Indian Wells, the southpaw managed to hold his own after three battles where he was pushed to the limit. For example, In the two qualifying duels, he was only able to conclude the matches when there was no more margin in the third set.

Of course, in this second round of the main draw, he will have his big challenge. In front of him appears a player wearing the favorite badge. maxime Cressy (37°) is a surface specialist, competing in cement tournaments throughout the year. He has just been doubles champion at the ATP 500 in Dubai and having played in the European events in Marseille, Rotterdam and Montpellier.