Triumph on his mother’s birthday: Comesaña lives a family dream at the US Open | ATP Tour

US Open

Triumph on his mother’s birthday: Comesaña lives a family dream in NYC

The Argentine is already in the third round in his debut in the tournament

August 29, 2024

Francisco Comesaña closed his match against Ugo Humbert, No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and threw himself on his back to celebrate, but he got up immediately for two reasons. The first: “The floor was very hot!” he would later say, laughing, about his triumph on a day marked by temperatures of almost 40 degrees. The second reason he stood up has a name: Adela, his mother.

The 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory that gave her access to the third round in her debut at the US Open was the perfect gift for her mother on her birthday, so she ran out to find her in the crowd. She shouted “happy birthday” from the court and went to give her a hug at the edge of the court with the grandstand of Court No. 7.

“I don’t think I’ve realized yet that I beat the world number 17. I still think that when I looked outside, my mother was very excited about her birthday. It’s very nice that we were able to spend it with our family. After suffering a lot, we are all very happy now,” Comesaña said in a conversation with the press after his victory.

Just a few months ago he had reached this same round, but at Wimbledon. Now he is back at this stage in only his second Grand Slam, making him the second Argentine, and the first since David Nalbandian, to reach the third round in his first appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open.

He, however, is still happy to have his family by his side in New York. In addition to his mother, his father and brother also came. Although he is aware that the presence of the three of them can represent an extra pressure, there is nothing more satisfying than playing the tennis of his life in front of them and in a tournament of this magnitude.

“It’s hard to have your family there. It’s the first time it’s happened to me, because I know they get very excited, they get very nervous, so I try not to see them. And so much emotion together is a bit of an extra strain, but I gave it my all on the court and I’m happy that they can enjoy watching me compete,” added Comesaña.

Playing for his family in the stands and at the same time ignoring them while playing was key to ending up with a victory that has him No. 88 in the live ranking. During the match, he preferred to focus his gaze on his coach Sebastián Gutiérrez and the advice he gave him on the court.

“It’s a bit like what we’ve been working on with ‘Guti’, which is that I have to trust and believe that I belong here and at this level. He’s always there to make me believe more. Today, at the beginning of the match, it was difficult, but he told me: ‘I insisted, I trust in myself.'”

The results have quickly become apparent. He will now be looking for a place in the last 16 of the tournament when he faces the winner of Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini. His family’s vacation, which was also planned to visit New York, will continue to be put on hold because of the great tennis of the ‘Chinese’, as they call him at home.

“I was clear in telling them to come, but that I wasn’t coming on vacation.”