Comesaña lost Roland Garros' match of the day: 5 hours, 2 MPs, ball stuck | OneFootball

Francisco Comesaña lost “the match of the day” at Roland Garros at the hands of Matteo Berrettini. One player ahead, then the other. Tennis can be both the beauty and the cruelty of sport in an instant. Or in five hours and 13 minutes for the final 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-7 (4), 6-4 and 7-6 (15-13).

The Argentine (No. 102 in the ATP rankings) had two match points and even a ball that stayed on his side of the court, which he hooked and sent into the stands when he had the chance to close out the match. The Italian (No. 105) is back in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon 2023 (he was runner-up at that tournament in 2021).

So much happened on a Simonne Mathieu court packed with fans that the only thing the winner had in mind at the end of the match was: “I don’t know. I’m just so happy, tired and so grateful for this incredible team. They are part of my family. My brother over there, we grew up together playing tennis. This incredible crowd supported me in the heat, under the sun, two sets down. We fought through this match, guys. Thank you so much.”

And after playing the longest match of his professional career (surpassing the 4 hours and 49 minutes of his first-round loss to Andy Murray at the 2023 Australian Open), he added: “There is so much work behind this that my team knows, how hard we worked mentally and physically to come back and enjoy these kinds of events, conditions and matches. That’s what I kept telling myself during the match. I told myself that I deserve to be here. If I had lost the match, it would have hurt a lot, but it still would have been a great battle. I’m so grateful for that. And I will never thank this guy enough, and my family back home and everyone who works with me.”

Berrettini is the second Italian in the Open Era to reach multiple round-of-16 appearances at all four Grand Slam events, alongside Jannik Sinner, and is now one step away from matching his best showing in Paris, which will be decided against the winner of the match between Argentine Juan Manuel Cerúndolo and Spain’s Martín Landaluce.

Meanwhile, the “Shark” from Mar del Plata recorded his best performance at the Parisian Major, reaching the third round, which he had also achieved at Wimbledon in 2024 and at the US Open that same year. He will be No. 87 when the next rankings are published, climbing 15 spots.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.