Etcheverry Sparks Comeback Fire in Buenos Aires
Tomas Martin Etcheverry turned home crowd roars into momentum, rallying past Alejandro Tabilo for a gripping quarterfinal win at the Argentina Open and snapping a long semi-final drought on clay.
In the thick Buenos Aires night, where clay courts grip every slide and the air pulses with chants, Tomas Martin Etcheverry rediscovered his bite. The seventh seed, carrying a 6-3 start to the year that whispered of deeper potential, clashed with Alejandro Tabilo in the IEB+ Argentina Open quarterfinals. What unfolded was a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 reversal, his first ATP Tour semi-final since last May, fueled by sharp adjustments on the red dirt.
Tabilo rolled in hot, having toppled former champions Facundo Diaz Acosta and Joao Fonseca in straight sets during his earlier rounds at this ATP 250 clay-court stop. His opening set was a masterclass in control, pounding crosscourt forehands that pinned Etcheverry deep and a serve that hummed low over the net. The Argentine, seeded to thrive on home soil, absorbed the punishment but felt the crowd’s urgency building behind him.
“I am so happy,” Etcheverry said. “The first set was so tough for me, but in the second set I started to play my best tennis and then in the third set at 4-4, I got the break with the passing shot with my backhand, down the line, was incredible. I am super happy to play here with my people.”
Forehand break flips the script
Etcheverry’s frustration simmered through the first set, where Tabilo‘s heavy topspin backhands in one–two patterns forced hurried errors on the slower surface. But at 0-1 down in the second, he cracked a scorching forehand winner down the line to seize the break, the ball skidding just inside the sideline. That shot sliced through the tension, and with the stands erupting, he leveled the set 6-3, ripping 14 winners that looped high with topspin to shove his opponent back.
The crowd’s rhythm—claps syncing with baseline rallies—lifted him, turning the match’s tempo in his favor on clay that rewards patient depth. Tabilo’s early edge, built on those upsets, began to waver as Etcheverry mixed inside-out forehands to stretch the court wide, disrupting the Chilean’s flat trajectories. This pivot wasn’t just power; it was precision, probing weaknesses while the home energy drowned out any doubt.
Backhand pass breaks the deadlock
Into the decider, the duel tightened, both trading heavy groundstrokes in extended crosscourt exchanges that tested lungs on the grippy Buenos Aires dirt. At 4-4, Etcheverry chased down a Tabilo approach from the baseline, whipping an astonishing backhand pass from near the advertising boards—down the line, laced with spin to bite low and claim the break. The stadium shook, his fist clenching as he served out the 6-4 finish in two hours and seven minutes.
This win,according to the ATP Win/Loss Index, bolsters his 6-3 ledger and eyes a first tour-level title, setting up a semi-final against top seed Francisco Cerundolo or Vit Kopriva. On familiar red clay, where every adjustment amplifies under vocal support, Etcheverry’s revival hints at a run that could redefine his season’s arc. The spark is lit, and the pressure eases with each roar from the stands.
