By Chris Oddo | Sunday February 10, 2019
Juan Ignacio Londero came from out of nowhere to capture his maiden title at the inaugural Cordoba Open in Argentina.
Photo Source: Cordoba Open
Juan Ignacio Londero was born and raised not very far from the sight of the Cordoba Open, and that explains the hearty support he received throughout the week, when as a wild card he won his first ATP main draw match and continued to pile up wins.
But it does not explain what transpired on Sunday.
Londero, who entered the inaugural Cordoba Open, went on a magical run and claimed the title on Sunday with a dramatic comeback win over Guido Pella, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. When it was done the support only got rowdier as the 25-year-old sunk into the arms of friends, relatives and coaches, the importance of his victory not likely to sink into his brain until he has had weeks to reflect.
Londero, a 5’10” right-hander with a surprisingly potent ground game and the courage to use it in the darkest of hours on a tennis court, came of age brilliantly this week, notching wins over fifth-seeded Nicolas Jarry and proven pro Federico Delbonis before taking a bite out of Pella in the final.
Down a set and a break on Sunday evening, it seemed unfathomable that Londero would soon be routing Pella in a lopsided third set, but you could feel the Jesus Maria, Argentina native taking the sway of this match late in the second set. He had already broken back to level in the set and when he converted his sixth set point to force a decider, it was clear that his momentum would be hard to stop.
Make that impossible.
There aren’t many who have achieved a first ATP win and first ATP title in the same week, Belgium’s Steve Darcis and Spain’s Santiago Ventura are two, and only time will tell if Londero has what it takes to take his show on the road and be a viable commodity in the Top 100.
He’ll begin that quest as the new World No.69 in Buenos Aires, just over 400 miles to the east, this week (he will face fifth-seeded Joao Sousa in round one). Perhaps there’s more magic in this young man than what we saw this week in Cordoba.