Juan Pablo Varillas couldn't defeat Cameron Norrie, but he left good impressions at the Argentina Open.

It was a hard-fought first set from start to finish on the clay of Court Guillermo Villas in Buenos Aires. Each one defended their game. Norrie showed speed and solidity; Varillas, a good service and demanded from his opponent. Everything was tied until the sixth game. The British player took the lead in points and when the Peruvian was close to equalizing, the match was stopped to assist a fan who needed attention in the stands. Upon return, the world number 12 did his job and broke 'Juan Pi', taking the lead in the scoreboard 4-2.

Juan Pablo's resilience came to light at this moment. The top national racket responded by breaking his opponent's serve and recovering his point, to then win the next game, once again tying the set: four each. The Peruvian didn't back down and also had the support of the Argentine crowd cheering his name. Both players remained focused, so the situation remained the same, each one avoiding a break, with the tenth game being the most disputed. Until everything was defined in a tiebreak.

Varillas started at a disadvantage, with the odds against him, but gradually he recovered. And it seemed like he would extend that tiebreak; however, his mistakes gave the point and the first set to the British player. In the second set, 'Juan Pi' started serving. He should have started on the right foot, but it wasn't the case. Norrie surprised him, showed superiority, and broke his first game. It was a big blow for the Peruvian, but fortunately, it didn't bring him down.

Varillas fought

In that second set, Norrie grew, it's true, but Juan Pablo didn't back down despite the break. Neither gave in until they played the decisive tenth game (the score was 5-4 in favor of Cameron, who had the serve). It was a few minutes of intense battle. Varillas managed to get ahead and had opportunities to break, although he didn't succeed. In the end, the British player saved his service and not only won the set but also the match.

Varillas lost, but left good feelings in this important tournament of the South American tour. He achieved that, 15 years later, a Peruvian tennis player returns to play in the semifinals of an ATP event. The last one had been Lucho Horna in the Acapulco Tournament back in 2008.

Today it has been shown that, on the clay court, Juan Pablo can be a tough opponent. Now, he looks towards the Rio Open and the Chile Open, his next two events. In the tournament in Brazil, which starts on Monday the 20th, he will directly enter the main draw thanks to becoming the number 81 in the world rankings starting next week. Reaching the semifinals of the Argentina Open has allowed him to climb 20 spots (currently, he is ranked 101 in the ATP ranking).

Cameron, on the other hand, will face Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, world number 2 and winner of the 2022 US Open, in the final. Alcaraz reaches this stage after defeating his compatriot Bernabé Zapata Miralles in straight sets, double 6-2.

Receive our newsletter: we will send you the best sports content, as Depor always does.

}