Trungelliti Defeats Moutet in Marrakech, Ensures Top 100 Debut

Welcome to the Top 100 Marcos Trungelliti.

The Argentinian is up to No.85 in the live rankings after scoring a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Corentin Moutet to reach his first ATP semifinal since 2018. The 36-year-old also earns his fifth career Top 50 win.

The man whose biggest claim to fame was previously making a 10-hour drive from Barcelona to Paris with his grandmother Daphne after receiving late notification that he had earned a lucky loser spot in the the 2018 Roland-Garros men’s singles draw, is having a late bloom.

Trungelliti, who will turn 37 next January, will become the oldest man to make his Top 100 debut in the last 50 years.

“At the end I was a little bit nervious, too many thoughts in my mind, finally I could control it a little bit and do what I had to do,” Trungelliti said after his win over 32nd-ranked Moutet.

The push up the rankings is great news for Trungelliti. He has played nine main draw matches at the majors, but never once has he played a Grand Slam match without first having to go through qualifying.

He has played 87 qualifying matches at the majors since he first hit the Grand Slam scene in 2012. Since the 2022 Australian Open he has played 26 qualifying matches, but been unable to crack the main draw.

“That’s unbelievable, after fighting in qualies for 7,000 years, finally I will be there on the week of the main draw, without having to fight like an animal during qualies,” he said. “Of course it’s a big change for me – I will get into Wimbledon as well – but the goal is different. The work is not done yet, I want more and more and more.”

Trungelliti will face top-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi in the semifinals.

Jodar Reaches Semis as Defending Champion Muller Retires

Not the way 19-year-old Rafael Jodar wanted to pass through to his first ATP semifinal, but a milestone nevertheless. Jodar was leading 6-2, 2-0 over Muller when the Frenchman had to pull the plug.

Jodar is the fourth teen to reach the semis in Marrakech and he joins Joao Fonseca as the second man born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP semifinal.