On Sunday, world number 12 Cameron Norrie will compete in the semifinal of the 2023 ATP Buenos Aires Open in Argentina against Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas, a surprise entry who is ranked 101st.
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Even with his current lack of form, the world number 101 will find it difficult to defeat Dominic Thiem on clay. In subsequent encounters, it is twice as difficult to defeat Thiem and Lorenzo Musetti. Yet Peruvian qualifier Varillas pulled off the nearly unthinkable by defeating the pair in straight sets, taking all four sets 6-4. Varillas avoided a potential comeback in the middle of the second set of a match that lasted an hour and 47 minutes to advance to the semifinals. Varillas, who has never advanced to the ATP tournament final, dropped his service in the fourth game of the second set, but he immediately recovered to win the break and then the victory. Before defeating Joao Sousa, Varillas had previously defeated Thiago Tirante and Federico Delbonis in the qualifying rounds. All of these victories occurred in straight sets, and after defeating Thiem 6-4, 6-4, he advanced to the round of eight.
Norrie defeated Tomas Etcheverry in three sets after spending two hours and 36 minutes on the court to do so in his quarterfinal. The Englishman defeated Etcheverry, who was the 7/5 underdog going into the match, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 to secure his place in the semifinals. Both players fought valiantly for a break in the first set, but it didn’t come until the 11th game, when Etcheverry gave it to his opponent at the first opportunity. Before Etcheverry won the set for himself, Norrie had a chance to break back and he also saved a few of set points. Norrie was able to tie the game with the help of three consecutive serve breaks, and Etcheverry was only able to win one more game on serve before losing two more. The Argentine’s comeback was too little, too late by the time Norrie held on to claim the match. After receiving an early bye, Norrie previously required three sets to defeat Facundo Diaz Acosta in the second round.
| Cameron Norrie vs Juan Pablo Varillas | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 19, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Argentina Open |
| Stage | Semifinals |
| Time (India) | 12:30 am |
| Time (Argentina) | 4:00 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Tomas Martin | 2-1 (W) |
| Facundo Diaz | 2-1 (W) |
| Nicolas Mejia | 2-0 (W) |
| Nicolas Barrientos | 2-0 (W) |
| Jiri Lehecka | 2-3 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lorenzo Musetti | 2-0 (W) |
| Dominic Thiem | 2-0 (W) |
| Joao Sousa | 2-0 (W) |
| F. Delbonis | 2-0 (W) |
| Thiago Augustin | 2-0 (W) |
0-0. Juan Pablo Varillas is a difficult foe for Cameron Norrie since he naturally excels on clay courts and has international playing experience. But, the Brit’s track record of grinding out tough victories at the highest level recently might end up being the deciding factor.
Cameron Norrie and Juan Pablo Varillas will take on each other in the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Argentina Open on February 19.
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