One year ago, Diego Schwartzman suffered a heartbreaking first-round exit at the US Open. But the Argentine has bounced back at Flushing Meadows, advancing to the fourth round without losing a set.
On Friday the 11th seed ended the breakthrough run of Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and five minutes to reach the Round of 16 in New York for the third time. The 29-year-old will next face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
“So far it's been a great week for me one more time here [at the] US Open,” Schwartzman said. “It's a special place for me. I did great tournaments, great wins. So I'm very happy to be back.”
Schwartzman not only faced a tough second-round opponent in two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, but he played the South African under difficult circumstances. On Wednesday evening, the remnants of Hurricane Ida slammed the New York area, forcing their match from Louis Armstrong Stadium to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Schwartzman triumphed at 1 a.m. Thursday morning.
The four-time ATP Tour titlist showed no ill effects from that, breaking Molcan’s serve seven times from 13 break points. The Argentine’s all-court game put pressure on the Slovakian to go for too much at inopportune times, leading to 43 unforced errors.
Schwartzman’s next opponent, van de Zandschulp, advanced with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Argentine Facundo Bagnis. In every match from the start of qualifying, the Dutchman has lost at least the first set. In the first round of the main draw, he lost the first two sets against Carlos Taberner.
But van de Zandschulp has shown great resilience at this event, which marks his first trip to the United States. This is his career-best run at a major and he is projected to crack the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings after this event.
"It feels pretty normal, but for me it's not normal of course. No, it didn't hit me yet," van de Zandschulp said of his accomplishments in New York. "I have to say for me this week, this year, qualifying for all the Slams, and here making for the first time the third round and now the fourth, it's pretty amazing. I'm going up in the rankings. Life's good now."
On Friday the 11th seed ended the breakthrough run of Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and five minutes to reach the Round of 16 in New York for the third time. The 29-year-old will next face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
“So far it's been a great week for me one more time here [at the] US Open,” Schwartzman said. “It's a special place for me. I did great tournaments, great wins. So I'm very happy to be back.”
Schwartzman not only faced a tough second-round opponent in two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, but he played the South African under difficult circumstances. On Wednesday evening, the remnants of Hurricane Ida slammed the New York area, forcing their match from Louis Armstrong Stadium to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Schwartzman triumphed at 1 a.m. Thursday morning.
The four-time ATP Tour titlist showed no ill effects from that, breaking Molcan’s serve seven times from 13 break points. The Argentine’s all-court game put pressure on the Slovakian to go for too much at inopportune times, leading to 43 unforced errors.
Schwartzman’s next opponent, van de Zandschulp, advanced with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Argentine Facundo Bagnis. In every match from the start of qualifying, the Dutchman has lost at least the first set. In the first round of the main draw, he lost the first two sets against Carlos Taberner.
But van de Zandschulp has shown great resilience at this event, which marks his first trip to the United States. This is his career-best run at a major and he is projected to crack the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings after this event.
"It feels pretty normal, but for me it's not normal of course. No, it didn't hit me yet," van de Zandschulp said of his accomplishments in New York. "I have to say for me this week, this year, qualifying for all the Slams, and here making for the first time the third round and now the fourth, it's pretty amazing. I'm going up in the rankings. Life's good now."