The national tennis player defeated American Frances Tiafoe in straight sets. From now on, he will face the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, world number 10.
A hopeful victory won by Christian Garin (39th ATP) on his debut at the Masters 1000 in Madrid. He beat the American Frances Tiafoe (25th) 6-1 and 6-3, in just one hour , and successfully launched the defense of the quarter-finals of the last edition. And above all, show very good tennis.
On the eve of the meeting there were many doubts about how the Chilean would respond to the competition’s request of the Spanish capital. His last performances in Belgrade and Munich raised concerns about his real level, since he was far from showing what he exhibited in Houston, where he reached the semi-finals and with very good victories.
And even if his opponent was not a clay court specialist, his top 25 status made him dangerous enough. However, Pepe Vendrell’s pupil got off to a great start. An entrance break helped him relax a lot. Good forehands and interesting ball speed, also aided by the city’s 657 meters of altitude , conditions very similar to those of Santiago. Another break in the fifth game was enough to kill the set.
With confidence and the encouragement of a loud Chilean bar, Garin was on a high. He won 86% of the points with his first serve and marked differences with the return, since he won 43% of the points with the rival’s first serve and 79% with the second.
The duel could even end faster, as the American recovered a break in the second set. However, The Arica-born had the category to close out the game, with a remarkable winning shot from the right. The clenched fist and a cry of relief was the celebration of the tennis player who needed a victory like this to reaffirm his confidence.
In the second round, Christian Garin will face the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime (10th). The record between the two favors the Chilean 2-1. In the last confrontation, at the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo last year, Gago won 7-6 (3) and 6-1.
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Source: Latercera
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