By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday March 5, 2023
Nicolas Jarry capped brought the faithful to their feet by winning the title in Santiago.
Photo Source: Getty
Go back in the annals of ATP events in Santiago, Chile, and find Jaime Fillol, Nicolas Jarry’s grandfather, a former World No.14, who once played the final in 1977 and lost to the original king of clay, Guillermo Vilas.
Fast forward nearly 50 years and there was Jarry raising the trophy after a hard-fought, emotionally gratifying week that saw him win four consecutive three-setters, the last three from a set down.
On Sunday the hard-hitting, assertive 27-year-old brought the crowd to its feet again and again as he rallied for a 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Jarry started the year at 152 in the ATP rankings but is now up to 52 after reaching the semifinals at Rio and winning the Santiago title in back-top-back weeks. He is now just 14 spots off his career-high of 38, which was achieved in 2018.
"It's really unbelievable. I can't believe that I'm champion in this historic tournament of my family," Jarry said after the match with his infant son Juan in his arms. "It means a lot to me, especially for the two weeks in a row. It's been very tough and I managed to keep on going this week. It's been amazing."
The 27-year-old Chilean was in grave danger in the second set after squandering a 4-1 lead. He was two points from losing the match at 5-5 in the second-set tiebreak but managed to get through it.
He was off to the races after that, breaking for 1-0 and 4-1 in the final set before capping his march to victory in two hours and 46 to claim his second ATP title, and first since 2019.
Jarry improves to 10-2 on the young season, while Etcheverry drops to 7-6. The Argentine was playing in his first ATP final, and jumps to a career-high ranking of 61 in Monday’s rankings despite the loss.