Fearless of playing two matches in one day, Etcheverry reached four tour finals and finally claimed the title

It is well known that some players face the challenge of playing two matches in a single day. In some cases, due to also entering doubles, players might even have to compete in three matches a day. Last week, one player encountered such a situation. At that moment, he endured the test and achieved a new breakthrough in his career. So, who is this player? And what kind of new milestone did he reach? Today, this article will take you through the story.

This player is the Argentine Etcheverry, who as early as 2015, at just 16 years old, had a match against Wu Yibing. They met at a junior tournament held in Mexico, where Wu Yibing, who was the same age as Etcheverry, defeated him 6–4, 6–4 to claim the championship. In 2021, Etcheverry won two Challenger titles, drawing significant attention from tennis fans online.

Since then, Etcheverry has improved year by year. In 2023, he even advanced to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open. Unfortunately, before last week, although he had reached three clay-court tour finals, he had lost all of them to his opponents.

Last week, as the eighth seed, Etcheverry competed at the ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro Open. In the first round, his opponent was compatriot Komeisana, a player who had twice reached the last 32 of Grand Slams and possessed considerable skill. In this match, Komeisana took the first set 6–3, gaining an early advantage. Facing the brink of elimination, Etcheverry adjusted his game and came back to win the next two sets 6–3, 6–4, overturning the match and securing his first ATP 500 victory in the 2026 season.

In the second round, Etcheverry faced Lithuanian qualifier Gombos, who last season had achieved two consecutive wins at Masters events and was a formidable opponent. Indeed, in the first set, Etcheverry was pushed to a tiebreak but managed to hold his nerve and win it, taking the lead. In the second set, he allowed his opponent little chance and closed it out 6–4 to reach the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, his opponent was lucky loser Portuguese player Faria, who had won matches in the Australian Open main draw for two consecutive years and showed strong competitive ability. Etcheverry defeated him in straight sets, marking his second time reaching the tour semifinals in the 2026 season. In the semifinals, he faced Czech player Kopriva, who was making his first ATP 500 semifinal appearance and was eager to breakthrough again.

As expected, Kopriva took the first set 6–4, briefly glimpsing victory. Although Etcheverry adjusted his play in the following sets, Kopriva fought back fiercely, and the last two sets were decided by tiebreaks. Ultimately, after nearly four hours of intense battle, Etcheverry emerged victorious, reaching his first tour final of the 2026 season. Objectively speaking, Etcheverry was getting closer and closer to the title.

In the final, his opponent was Chilean player Tabillo, who had previously won three tour titles and was a strong contender. In the first set, Tabillo broke Etcheverry’s serve multiple times to take it 6–3. In the second set, Etcheverry effectively suppressed Tabillo’s backhand attacks, winning the tiebreak to even the match and push it to a deciding set. In the final set, although Tabillo gained an early lead, Etcheverry performed better on crucial points, caught up, and then surpassed him to win 6–4 in a comeback victory.

This marked Etcheverry’s third comeback win at the ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro event, and with this victory, he secured his first tour-level title in his career. By winning this championship, Etcheverry became Argentina’s second-ranked player. We hope he continues to perform well in future tournaments. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)