Tennis star in tears after playing six hours in one day to win first title | Tennis | Sport

It was a day like no other for Tomas Martin Etcheverry, as he battled through rain and heat delays to win his maiden ATP Tour title in Rio. The No. 8 seed faced Vit Kopriva in the semi-finals on Saturday, but they were rained off less than an hour into the match, with Kopriva leading 5-4.

The Argentine returned on Sunday, knowing that if he won his semi-final match, he’d have to contest the final later that afternoon. And he did just that, playing six hours worth of tennis in one day to be crowned the Rio Open champion.

Kopriva served out the first set when they returned to the centre court on Sunday to complete the semi-finals, but Etcheverry was just getting started. The No. 8 seed won a 71-minute second set in a tiebreak to force a decider, and both players then had to leave the court as the heat rule kicked into effect.

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The players were truly battling the elements. After a rain delay on Saturday wreaked havoc, it was a different story on Sunday, and play was suspended due to the high heat. Again, Etcheverry wasn’t deterred. When they returned for the third time, the 26-year-old came through a close deciding set, taking it in a tiebreak.

Over two days, Etcheverry took three hours and 57 minutes to beat Kopriva in the semis, with about three hours of that on Sunday. And his job wasn’t over yet. A few short hours later, Etcheverry returned to the court to face Alejandro Tabilo in the final.

The Argentine had a brutal 0-3 record in tour-level finals going into the match, having faced plenty of near-misses. And it seemed as though he was going to lose another championship match. Etcheverry looked as though he had no gas left in the tank after a thrilling semi-final, and Tabilo won a rollercoaster first set full of breaks, and then broke early in set two.

But the world No. 33  dug deep and refused to go down without a fight, breaking back and, again, winning a tiebreak set in Rio to force a decider. And he finally got the job done, lifting his maiden ATP Tour title with a 3-6 7-6(3) 6-4 comeback victory over Tabilo, bursting into tears.

After needing three hours to finish his match against Kopriva earlier in the day, the Argentine spent another three hours and four minutes on the tour against Tabilo. Naturally, the tears started to flow while Etcheverry was at his bench. During an emotional trophy ceremony, he told the crowd: “Thank you to everyone on my team, Argentinian fans, my family, my wife. The truth is, it’s the happiest day of my life, with my first title.”

Now back up to No. 33 in the world, his highest ranking in a year, Etcheverry said he was dreaming after claiming a long-awaited maiden title. “This is a dream come true for me. I was looking for a while for my first title. I’ve been working so hard with my team and I can’t believe it,” he said.

“I just tried to give my 100 per cent. It was the final, the last match of the tournament, so I gave my 100 per cent, and I think at the end, I have the prize.”

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