After his retirement in the first round of the ATP 250 in Adelaide and the forced withdrawal from the second tournament in the same city due to physical discomfort, Daniel Galan He hopes to start 2023 in shape with his participation in the Australian Open, in which he debuts today at 7 pm (Star+ TV), against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
The best tennis player in the country, current number 68 in the world ranking, faces the first grand slam of the season with the aim of confirming the good feelings he left at the end of last year with the memorable performance at the US Openbeyond his two titles in the Challengers of Concepción and Sarasota.
It’s no secret that Galán, 26, experienced a new flowering in the elite at Flushing Meadows. He had already shown in 2020 his ability to face the greats from the qualifying phases with what he did at Roland Garros, but the feeling he left despite falling somewhat tired in the third round with the Spanish Alejandro Davidovich has not been compared in the race. of the.
His victory over the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the first round of the last US Open, taking advantage of each of the mistakes of today’s fourth best player in the world, left the imaginary that Galán can go as far as he thinks possible.
In his goal of avoiding irregularities, Galán has the ideal option at the Australian Open to lay the foundations for his consolidation in the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP).
(You can read: Camila Osorio defines the Colombian tennis route: ‘My goal is to enter the top 20’).
📂 Colombian tennis
📂 Unforgettable moments
📂US Open 2022
📂 Victory for Daniel Galán vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
📂 Match pointSAVE 💾 pic.twitter.com/1ww2YsquP5
— Match Tennis (@MatchTennis) August 30, 2022
hunk in australia
For tonight’s debut, Galán starts as the great favorite. Chardy, his rival, a 35-year-old French tennis player, currently has no ranking because he has been without activity for more than a year, after alleging medical problems allegedly caused by the effects of the covid-19 vaccine.
Chardy, who was No. 25 on tour in his prime, played his last match on August 31, 2021, in the first round of that year’s US Open. He fell in three sets against the Italian Mateo Berrettini.
Although his physical condition is still a gamble, Chardy is a tennis player who in normal conditions could handle a good serve and a quite powerful two-handed backhand. Both weapons, to keep his spirit, will be an interesting challenge for Galán, who has been improving his movements in the back of the court.
From winning in the first outing to what would be his first career main draw victory in the tournament, the bumangués should look with ambition towards the third round.
(Also: Cabal and Farah: ‘We know how to win tournaments and we’re going to look for them’).
If he responds to logic, he will face the winner of the key starring the British Daniel Evans (No. 26 in the world) and the Argentine Facundo Bagnis (No. 90 in the ranking).
Although both are experienced players, Galán’s opponent in a second round should be Evans, who he could see again a couple of days later, in the Davis Cup series between Colombia and the United Kingdom, on February 3-4. , in the municipality of Cota, Cundinamarca.
In a hypothetical third phase, Galán would face the Russian Andrey Rublev, who after playing against Dominic Thiem, a rebuilding Austrian titan, has no major challenges in the rest of the draw.
A fourth round would be unprecedented in Galán’s career, but in the first major of the year it would not seem to be the most likely. However, that is your challenge: believe it is possible.
ANDRES FELIPE BALAGUERA SARMIENTO
SPORTS JOURNALIST EL TIEMPO
In networks: @balagueraaa
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