RÍO DE JANEIRO – It’s not normal to play for three hours and 15 minutes, reach the third set tiebreak at 6-6 and cross the net with a huge smile, serving for match point (for or against) without losing that smile. It’s not normal, no, but that’s what the Argentinian Francisco Comesaña did this Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Rio Open.
‘Laughter is something that characterises me a lot, I really enjoy the matches,’ explained Comesaña, ranked 86th in the world, after defeating Chile’s Nicolás Jarry, ranked 47th, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (1-7) and 7-6 (8-6) in three hours and 16 minutes, after another match of similar length in his debut.
The match, played on the centre court of the Jockey Club Brasileiro, in the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Gavea, was remarkable, with sustained excitement and uncertainty until the end. A backhand from Jarry, which was destined to be the winning point to close the tiebreak of the third set at 7-5, crashed into the net. The ball remained on his side and the score was set at 6-6.
‘I felt that someone had lifted the net, we all saw that the ball was going in. He was surprised when the ball hit the net, I looked at him, I grabbed my head, he looked at me, we were all grabbing our heads’, said Comesaña, describing the moment on a hot Brazilian summer afternoon.
‘Nobody understood why that ball didn’t go in, but there was a reason why it didn’t. He then served a great shot, I knew I had to get the return in no matter what. It was a very even match, it could have gone either way,’ summarised the 24-year-old Argentinian, who will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.
Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina’s main tourist city, Comesaña has in common with Mariano Navone, a compatriot and great friend, that they both can’t stop smiling. Smiling, he explains why: ‘I’m doing something that I love’.
‘Yes, I can get angry, I can blame myself for a lot of things, but as long as I’m connected and giving my all, what I do on the court is enjoy myself. I smile because it’s something normal for me.’
It is the first time that Comesaña, a small player with a great serve and shots of fine sensitivity, has reached the quarter-finals of a tournament on the ATP’s main circuit. His greatest successes, however, were the surprising third rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2024.
That very good serve was key at various points in the match with Jarry, beyond the fact that nerves also made themselves felt.
‘My serve has given me a lot of points today. At times I didn’t serve so well, I think it was because I felt a lot of pressure that with the second serve he was going to attack. But when I manage to be well concentrated, I think the serve gives me a lot of possibilities’.
Grateful? Very much so: ‘To my family, who support me in this sport, they know what I’ve been through, what I’ve suffered, what I’ve cried, what I’ve smiled, what I’ve experienced, the huge emotions I’ve felt’.
