Christian Garin advances in the Girona Challenger and signs his first quarter-final in four months

Christian Garin (104th ATP) finds sensations in Spain. After a complicated period in the United States, where he gave up in Indian Wells, lost in the first round of the Phoenix Challenger and failed to enter the main draw of the Miami Open, the Northerner surrendered in Europe to begin the clay court tour. For his first event on the Old Continent, he is already in the second round of the Girona Challenger.

He achieved this after beating the American Nicolás Moreno de Alborán (158th) 7-6(2) and 6-3, whom he had already faced two weeks ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Just like this Thursday in Catalonia, on this occasion, the Chilean also celebrated against the 26-year-old tennis player.

So Christian Garin returns to the quarterfinals of a professional tournament for the first time since November 2023 , when he lost in the round of 16 of the Challenger in Brasilia. After that, he added the first round at the Australian Open, Punta del Este Challenger, Córdoba Open and Chile Open. In South America, he was able to win only one match at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro, where he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena in his debut. Next comes his stay in the United States, mentioned above.

This moment is also motivated by his spectacular victory in the first round, where he had to play three hours and 22 minutes against Henrique Rocha (220°). In this match, he saved three match points and could only clench his fist after seven match points in his favor, achieving a hard-fought 4-6 6-3 and 7-6 (9).

This Friday He will face the German Benjamin Hassan (156th), in what will be the first confrontation between the two . For the moment, this presence in the quarter-finals leaves the North American in 112th place in the world ranking, since by not defending the third round of the Miami Open, he lost 61 points. He can continue to add more, but everything will depend on the duel against the German.

After Girona will come the ATP 250 of Estoril (which this year plays its last edition), in what will be another case in which it will be necessary to add units if it does not want to continue to complicate itself on the circuit, since on clay court, he defends 180 points until Roland Garros.

Concretely, for the clay court circuit, he defends units in the ATP 250 in Houston (45 points) and in Munich (45), in addition to the Masters 1000 in Rome (45) and Madrid (45). For the latter two, their presence in the main draw is almost ruled out.