Comesana earns biggest win of his career, stuns Zverev in Rio QFs

Francisco Comesana survived another three-set battle and claimed the biggest win of his career over World No. 2 Alexander Zverev to charge into the semi-finals of the Rio Open presented by Claro Friday night.

The Argentine, who saved a match point against Nicolas Jarry in the second round, rallied from 1-4 in the deciding set to stun the top seed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the ATP 500 event to reach his first tour-level semi-final. The 24-year-old, who was winless on the season at tour-level coming into the event, won the final five game of the match to triumph in two hours and 31 minutes.

The turning point came at 4-all when Zverev had a straight-forward put-away bounce smash on top of the net. Comesana reflexed it back and then ran down a short Zverev volley to hit a sliding backhand winner. The German double faulted on the next point to drop serve, and then Comesana confidently served out the match to love after putting four first serves into play.

"I was repeating to myself throughout the match, ‘How good it is to be alive.’ So, I was enjoying the entire match,” the Argentine said in his post-match on-court interview.

“I think it is because [of] all the hard work I have been doing to be here. I have to be grateful for this moment and I am enjoying [it].”

The pair exchanged breaks early in a tight opening set. In the sixth game, Zverev saved a break point and came out unscathed after Comesana misfired a forehand. He then built pressure on the Argentine’s serve in the following game and earned a crucial break to take control of the set.

In the second set, Comesana, playing his first tour-level quarter-final, increased his level and mounted a comeback. He broke Zverev in the sixth game after the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings missed a routine volley. He continued to capitalise on the error-prone German and kept him off balance by firing well-executed drop shots. The Argentine sealed the set second by saving two break points while serving for the second set.

Zverev regrouped and raced to a 4-1 lead in the decider. But the Argentine quickly put the disappointment behind him and carved a crucial break point at 4-4 with a sliding backhand passing shot after the German failed to put away a routine volley. Comesana reeled off five consecutive games in the set and powered to victory in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash. He won 71 per cent (40/56) of his first-serve points and converted 57 per cent (4/7) break points he earned according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Up 19 places this week to No. 67 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Comesana will next play Alexandre Muller in the semi-finals.

Muller followed Comesana's victory with an upset of his own, beating fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 to become the first French semi-finalist in Rio history. The 28-year-old sealed his Top 50 debut with the victory, which moved him up to No. 46 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Muller won both of his previous ATP Tour semi-finals, on the clay of Marrakech in 2023 and the hard courts of Hong Kong earlier this season. He claimed his first ATP Tour title at the latter event this January but had not earned a tour-level victory since then until this week.

Cerundolo was seeking his third Rio semi-final in the past four years. Only Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini have reached three semi-finals at the event.