Tag Archives: Diego Schwartzman

Cristian Garin Defeats Diego Schwartzman to Win Cordoba Open

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Cristian Garinis celebrating his first title of the year…

The 23-year-old Chilean tennis player won the third ATP Tour title of his career on Sunday, coming back from a set down for the third consecutive match to beat top seed Diego Schwartzman 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in central Argentina’s Cordoba Open.

Cristian Garin

After a slow start, Garin overpowered the home favorite, stepping into the court to put the Argentine on the defense and leave him gasping for air.

The home crowd tried to will their man to his first title on home soil, but Garin played fearlessly in the second and third sets, hitting lines and never backing down against the 27-year-old Buenos Aires native.

“Argentina is like my second home… I did not expect to win and I am very happy of course,” said Garin. “I’ve won three tournaments in 11 months, its quite a cool thing.”

Garin improved to 3-1 in ATP Tour finals, all of which have come in the past 12 months. The Chilean was off to a dismal start in 2020 before Cordoba, going 0-3 at the ATP Cupand falling in the second round of the Australian Open(l. to Raonic).

But Garin ended 2019 as one of the premier clay-court players on the ATP Tour and has started 2020 the exact same way.

“I always thought I could turn the match and win,” said Garin. “That’s how it has been all week for me and it’s what I value most. I think I’m having my best moment but I have a lot to improve.”

He will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $91,625 in prize money. Schwartzman, who fell to 3-5 in ATP Tour finals, will take home $50,710 in prize money and 150 ATP Rankings points.

Diego Schwartzman Given Men’s Sportsmanship Award at the US Open

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He may have lost to Rafael Nadalin the US Open quarterfinals… But Diego Schwartzman is still a winner.

The 27-year-old Argentine professional tennis player has been given the men’s 2019 US Open Sportsmanship Award.

Diego Schwartzman

The way Naomi Osaka consoled Coco Gauff after beating the 15-year-old American in the US Open’s third round was admired by many. On Thursday, Osaka was given the women’s 2019 US Open Sportsmanship Award.

Both get a trophy and a $5,000 donation to a charity of their choice.

Todd Martin, the former player who is co-chair of the committee that chooses the recipients, said the two “demonstrated a level of sportsmanship that is even more impressive than their play on the court.”

Diego Schwartzman Defeats Alexander Zverev to Reach Quarterfinals at the US Open

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Diego Schwartzman has pulled out a major upset at the US Open…

The 27-year-old Argentine professional tennis player defeated No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev at Flushing Meadows 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals at the Grand Slam event for the second time.

Diego Schwartzman

Zverev doubled-faulted 17 times in the losing effort, and he ended up losing his serve eight times, won just 32% of second-serve points and amassed 65 unforced errors. He also was hit with a point penalty for swearing in the final set to put Schwartzman up 5-2.

“My first serve is still fine. My second serve needs to be worked on,” Zverev said. “But I’ll deal with it.”

The 20th-seeded Schwartzman, meanwhile, went about his steady baseline and retrieving game, taking the majority of long rallies in a match when some points went on for as many as 35 strokes.

Schwartzman, who reached the quarterfinals at the French Openlast year and at Flushing Meadows in 2017, next takes Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal Notches His 900th Career Win at the French Open

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It’s another French Open victory for Rafael Nadal, and added career milestones…

With a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) win on Monday against up-and-coming German player Maximilian Marterer, Nadal moved into the quarterfinals and above Jimmy Connors on the all-time list of match-winners at majors.

Rafael Nadal

Connors won 233. Nadal has 234.

Just Novak Djokovic, with 244 Grand Slamwins, and Roger Federer, with 332, are ahead of him.

But in his chase for a record-extending 11th title at Roland Garros, the only numbers Nadal seems to be keeping close track of are those up on the scoreboard. It had, for example, seemingly escaped him that in beating Marterer, a 22-year-old with a promising game, Nadal also notched his 900th career win on tour.

Although such numbers might not be foremost in Nadal’s mind, they are gauges to the impressive longevity and winning consistency of the Spaniard who turned 32 on Sunday.

“I don’t feel myself old. But I am 32, and I am here around since 2003, so it’s a long way, a lot of years. I started very young,” he said. “Being honest, I am enjoying the day by day on the tour and I hope to keep doing this for a while.”

Nadal’s next opponent, Diego Schwartzman of Argentina, will be playing his first Roland Garrosquarterfinal. It will be Nadal’s 12th.

The only other player with that many in the professional era is Djokovic, who plays his 12th quarterfinal against Marco Cecchinato of Italy.

Diego Schwartzman Storms Back to Upset Kevin Anderson in the Fourth Round at the French Open

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Diego Schwartzman has taken down a giant…

In a David and Goliath-like moment, the 25-year-old Argentine tennis player, nicknamed El Peque for being 5-foot-7, was able to turn the tables against 6-foot-8 Kevin Anderson at the French Open, climbing back for a 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (0), 6-2 victory in a fourth-round match at Roland Garros.

Diego Schwartzman

The match was slipping away from 11th-seeded Schwartzman quickly, with the sixth-seeded Anderson winning a staggering 76 percent of points on Schwartzman’s first serve in the opening set.

Continuing to pick on Schwartzman’s unimposing serve, Anderson broke for the sixth time to put himself up a break in the third set, and served for the match at 5-4. Schwartzman, previously 1-for-8 on break point opportunities in the match, clawed back and broke Anderson twice in a row to sneak away with the third set.

Anderson, who hit 19 aces to Schwartzman’s two, again served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, only for Schwartzman to break him at love.

Schwartzman had lost both of his previous matches against Anderson and said he was not sure how he reversed this one.

“I am saying that and repeating it, because I really don’t know how I did,” he said.

From there, the momentum was his. Schwartzman took the fourth-set tiebreaker, 7-0, and comfortably won the fifth set, breaking Anderson in all four of his service games.

Schwartzman ultimately broke Anderson’s serve nine times, the most times Anderson had ever been broken in one match.

“When you’re not as strong or you’re not as tall as Anderson, you can still win the match,” Schwartzman said. “I think that people like me more, as well, for that, because they were supporting me. They wanted me to remain in the game. The fact that he was twice as tall as me was a reason for me to try to remain.”

Schwartzman’s next battle is against a different sort of tennis behemoth: the 10-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

“I know it’s his second home,” Schwartzman said of Nadal and this Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal Outlasts Diego Schwartzman to Advance to His 10th Australian Open Quarterfinal

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Make that No. 10 for Rafael Nadal…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 in a hard-fought, nearly four-hour match to earn his spot in a 10th Australian Open quarterfinal.

Rafael Nadal

“A great battle … he’s a good friend of mine,” Nadal said of his Argentine competitor. “This is the first big match that I played in 2018. One match like this probably helps. That’s confidence for myself, that’s confidence I can resist for four hours on court at a good intensity.”

Nadal lost last year’s Australian Open final in five sets to Roger Federer, but went on to regain the No. 1 ranking and win the French Open and US Open titles before bringing his season to a premature end because of an injured right knee.

He didn’t play a competitive match before the season-opening major, and advanced through three rounds without dropping a set.

That streak ended when Schwartzman took the second set to level the match, rebounding three times after dropping serve to break back against Nadal.

The crucial second game of the fourth set lasted almost 13 minutes and 20 points, with Nadal finally holding after saving five break points as Schwartzman attacked him with everything he had.

The 16-time major winner broke again in the next game and withstood more break points — seven in all in the last set and 15 of 18 in the match — before breaking Schwartzman’s serve in the final game and clinching it on his third match point in 3 hours, 51 minutes.

Nadal will next play sixth-seeded Marin Cilic, who collected his 100th Grand Slam match win with a 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (3) victory over No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta.

Schwartzman Upsets Grigor Dimitrov to Win Istanbul Open

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Diego Schwartzman is officially an ATP titleholder…

The 23-year-old Argentine tennis player cane back from the brink of elimination to upset second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-0 and claim his first-ever ATP Tour title at the Istanbul Open.

Diego Schwartzman

Playing his first final, Schwartzman was trailing 5-2 in the second set before he won four straight games. Schwartzman failed to serve the set out but prevailed in the tiebreaker before dominating the third set with three breaks.

He completed the victory in 2 hours, 47 minutes.

Schwartzman’s third-set romp was aided by Dimitrov, who lost his composure and smashed his racket three times, which ultimately led to a warning, a point penalty and then another point penalty. The second and final point penalty came with Dimitrov down 5-0 and gave the game, set and match to Schwartzman.

“I let my family down, I let my team down, I let my fans down with that kind of behavior, which I definitely apologize for,” Dimitrov said.

In his best week on the tour, Schwartzman knocked out top-seeded Bernard Tomic in the second round before saving a match point in the quarterfinals against Damir Dzumhur. In the semifinals, he upset fourth-seeded Federico Delbonis.

It was the eighth final for Dimitrov, who won four titles, the most recent in Queen’s Club in London in 2014.

Dimitrov said he had a cramp when he was close to taking the second set.

“It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t close out the match,” Dimitrov said. “I have to give credit to Diego.”

Dimitrov broke Schwartzman four times in the first set, but the Argentine always fought back with a re-break to force a tiebreaker. Dimitrov finally won the set by converting his second set point.