Facundo Díaz Acosta, the world No.87, was crowned Argentina Open champion on Sunday after upsetting Nicolás Jarry 6-3 6-4, the Chilean third seed and world 21 in one hour and 44 minutes of play at the prestigious Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
Knowing the players who have won this tournament, I’m still in shock Facundo Diaz Acosta
Winning his maiden title on the tour, in front of his home crowd, was a dream come true for the 23-year-old from Buenos Aires.
Diaz Acosta took control from the start, breaking Jarryd’s serve to go 2-1 up by deploying an aggressive game and taking advantage of his opponent’s errors, but he couldn’t gain a further break, eventually serving it out.
It was much the same again in the second as the Argentine continued to apply pressure off the baseline. A service break in the opening game was all he needed though he could have built on that had he converted one of the break points he held on three of Jarryd’s service games.
Jarryd did put up a fight when Diaz Acosta was serving out in the second saving five match points but squandering a chance to level.
The Argentine finally claimed the title on his sixth match point to become the first wildcard in Buenos Aires to win the title since Spain’s David Ferrer in 2014, a result which should see him rise to a career high of 59 in the world.
“Knowing the players who have won this tournament, I’m still in shock,” the new champion admitted. “I can’t believe I’m one of them. I’m going away to celebrate and maybe when the adrenaline goes down I’ll be able to enjoy it a bit more.
“Before the game my team and I tried to prepare the game like any other and remove a bit of the pressure from the final. It was an incredible week, where I played the best tennis in my life.”
Facundo Diaz Acosta (L) and Nicolas Jarry pose with their trophies for the photographers
(Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
Jarry, who ousted the top seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the semis, took this defeat gracefully.
“The style of game [Díaz Acosta] set out to play, with high balls with a lot of topspin, meant I needed some extra strength to counter it and I couldn’t find it,” he said, adding that he wasn’t surprised by the Argentine’s level.
Despite facing some jeering by the fans, the Chilean was adamant that he had enjoyed his time in Buenos Aires.
“It’s not easy to play here, but it’s nice to play in this kind of atmosphere,” he added.
“I wasn’t the crowd’s favourite in any of the games, so I had to scrap for it, but that’s what makes this sport special, and I hope I’ve gained some support for next year.”
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