Argentina well-represented at River Oaks

American players have thoroughly dominated since the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship moved to Houston in 2001. Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Mardy Fish, Ryan Sweeting, John Isner, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Riley Opelka, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Jenson Brooksby collectively own more than half of tournament titles decided at either the Westside Tennis Club, which hosted from 2001 through 2007, or River Oaks Country Club, the venue since.

Roddick, Isner, Tiafoe, Sock, James Blake, Wayne Odesnik, Sam Querrey and Tennys Sandgren have all been runners-up, too. Among all nationalities, there is no close second. The River Oaks red clay may as well be white and blue, too. However, men from Argentina, more than those from any other country, have long made their presence felt in Houston, and they are doing so again this week.

Three played Wednesday. All three won. Ironically, the lone seed among them, No. 6 Tomás Martín Etcheverry, is the only one who had a struggle on his hands, needing to come back from a set down against the Australian Alex Bolt, who was making his ATP-level clay-court tournament debut. Still, Etcheverry moved into the quarterfinals for the third time in Houston with a 6-7 (5),6-0, 6-3 victory.

Thiago Agustin Tirante joined Etcheverry in the quarters with his merciless 6-2, 6-0 rout of American Mackenzie McDonald, while the third Argentine, Roman Andres Burruchaga, advanced to the second round with an only slightly less comfortable 6-2, 6-3 romp past another Aussie, Adam Walton.

Having been the runner-up to Frances Tiafoe in 2023 and a semifinal loser to eventual champion Ben Shelton in 2024, Etcheverry improved his record at River Oaks to 8-3.

“I like to play here in Houston,” Etcheverry said, stating the obvious. “I know the last four players to win are Americans, but I try to change that.”

However, to do so, he conceded “I have to play better. Tough, tough conditions today because of the wind. I didn’t take any risks.”

A good omen perhaps would be how he claimed his first ATP tournament title last month on the clay in Rio Janeiro, where he also dropped the first sets in both the semis and finals. Further, the 26-year-old Etcheverry’s manager, Juan Monaco, won the 2012 and 2016 Clay Court titles at River Oaks. Monaco also won the River Oaks International exhibition tournament one spring, prevailing heroically in back-to-back three-hour, three-set matches.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Etcheverry said. 

Yet another Argentine, Juan Ignacio Chela, prevailed in 2010 with a three-set victory over Querry. And, if you go way back, Argentina’s greatest tennis player ever, Guillermo Vilas, won the WCT tournament at River Oaks in 1981, defeating Houston’s own Sammy Giammalva Jr., in the final.

Burruchaga and Tirante, both 24, are River Oaks “rookies,” but there’s a slight chance you might recognize the former’s surname, the answer to a world-class trivia question. His father, Jorge, remains a household name in Argentina, having scored the winning goal for Argentina in the 1986 World Cup, only the greatest moment in the country’s sports history.

No, it was NOT the “Hand of God goal.” Some guy named Maradona is famous for that one. 

Burruchaga, who wasn’t born until 16 years later, has seen video replays of both “many times. My father is very famous (in Argentina). I’m proud to be his son. (And) I have met Maradona, yes. I played both (soccer and tennis), but I had to choose and I chose tennis.”

At present, he’s a career-high No. 77 in the ATP rankings. He could improve upon that significantly should he and Tirante, who’s ranked 83^rd – down from a career-best 74th – face off in the semifinals.

Just sub these grafs in at the end of what I already sent. Will update again with Paul’s result.

For that to happen, though, Tirante will first have to get past the top-seeded, ninth-ranked Shelton, who saved a set point in the first-set tiebreaker and fought his way past Zhizhen Zhang, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), then possibly the third-seeded, 20th-ranked American Learner Tien, who plays for the first time Thursday after receiving a first-round bye.

“I’m glad I had my serve today,” said Shelton, who blasted 21 aces past Zhang, the first Chinese player to crack the top 50 before injuries slowed his progress. “It saved me in some tricky conditions. A lot of things with my foot work and returning weren’t there. But he served great, too. Lots of credit to him.”

Shelton admitted he’s taking nothing for granted going forward. He’s well aware of the danger Tirante and the other Argentines present on clay.

Burruchaga next faces the fifth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima. Etcheverry will play the fourth-seeded American Tommy Paul. A semifinalist himself in Houston in the past, Paul is no stranger to the dirt, either, possessing a career record of 40-31 on the stuff after he battled past a stubborn Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Wednesday’s nightcap. 
      
Earlier, before Paul and Vallejo got on the court, Etcheverry had said, “Tommy will be tough,” perhaps forgetting that Vallejo, although he’s only ranked 101st, is also a dirt-baller from birth. But Paul showed his grit and survived to fight again. 

Then pick up these, which have no changes.

Tirante and Burruchaga both sounded confident despite the obstacles confronting them.

“(Argentines) are tough on clay,” Burruchaga said, smiling, “because we were born on clay.”

Tirante added, “The three of us are playing at a very good level here. It’s like at home, this clay. Let’s keep it going (to) an Argentina final.”