Day three at the 2025 Argentina Open came packed with action, as day two’s rain-delayed night shift moved to Wednesday’s daytime.

Fonseca shocks Etcheverry, Schwartzman extends last dance

The first game at the Guillermo Vilas central court was the much-anticipated clash between Argentine star Tomás Etcheverry (44 ATP singles ranking) and Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca (99).

Etcheverry was fresh off leading Argentina at the Davis Cup, but he faced one of the tournament’s biggest rising stars. Fonseca was coming off defeating world number nine Andrey Rublev in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open, becoming the youngest men’s player to defeat a Top 10 player at the Australian Open since 1973.

Both players started off strong, but Fonseca’s power and ball speed with his forehand quickly set him apart. While he remained somewhat hit-and-miss with his groundstrokes, he dominated the match and looked like the more experienced player.

Confident on the court and not afraid to show it, he took advantage of the strong Brazilian support in the stands to keep the Argentine majority off his back. Fonseca took a break over Etcheverry’s serve for 4-2, and despite a moment of hesitation when serving for the set, he wrapped it up 6-3.

Etcheverry couldn’t come up with an answer to his rival’s shots in the second set either. Fonseca constantly pushed him further back the court and neutralized the Argentine attacks, broke Etcheverry’s serve at 4-3, and cruised to the win.

“I knew [Etcheverry] was an experienced player on clay courts, but I tried to play my game,” Fonseca told the Herald at the press conference. “The court is a bit quicker today, so I worked on a few tactical aspects with my coach. But then I focused on how to remain strong mentally in the match, knowing the fans were going to get loud. I focused on staying mentally, and that was the key for me today.”

The Brazilian will go up against Argentina’s Federico Coria (115) next, who beat Frenchman Hugo Gaston (91) 6-3, 6-2.

Later on the day, former top ten Diego Schwartzman (currently 386) delayed his retirement party by at least one game when he beat Chilean Nicolás Jarry (40) 7-6 (10), 4-6, 6-3. El Peque (The Little One), as he’s affectionately known, won his first main draw game since October 2023, ending a 484 days streak.

Schwartzman leaned heavily on the Argentine crowd, who took a cue from the football stadium’s track list and rehashed several songs from the stands. Playing perhaps his best tennis in the last few years, he resisted Jarry’s attacks and took advantage of the Chilean’s streaky groundstrokes.

As the chances of a win increased, the game quickly went from relaxed testimonial to high-stakes affair, as Schwartzman grew visibly frustrated when stuff didn’t go to plan in the second set. Relief came in the third, when he broke Jarry’s serve at 3-2, built a lead, and held on to wrap up a win. 

“I don’t think about carrying on after this result, because my dream was to end my career like this,” Schwartzman said at the press conference. “What happens if next week I go to Rio’s tournament and I lose in the first round? I can’t sustain this level anymore. I’d love to, but I can’t, and if I can’t feel like this on a tennis court, then I don’t want to do it.”

He’ll face next Spain’s Pedro Martínez, who beat Bosnian Damir Džumhur by 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Zverev makes Buenos Aires debut

World number two Alexander Zverev opened the night shift when he took on Serbian Dusan Lajovic (81). The German is playing in his first tournament since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner. Zverev is playing in South America for the first time since taking part in the 2014 Barranquilla Challenger.

Zverev quickly became a fan favorite after clips of him wearing an Argentina national football team jersey went viral. His visit to Boca Juniors’s iconic La Bombonera stadium got him “¡Vamos Boca!” (“Let’s go Boca!”) cheers from the fans.

He took control of the first set at the midway point and never looked back, taking advantage of an erratic Lajovic to win it 6-4. The tale was very similar in the second set, with Zverev imposing his quality at the right times. He came back from a break down, won four straight games to take the lead at 4-2 and never looked back, closing it 6-4.

Court two saw a lot of action on Wednesday due to the congested schedule after Tuesday’s rains. Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (27) lost to Serbian Laslo Djere (112) by 2-6 6-1 7-6 (2). He’ll face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (77), who beat Argentine Sebastián Báez (31) 6-3, 6-4 to make it two for two for Brazil in its rivalry against Argentina. 

Also on court two, 25-year-old Frenchman Corentin Moutet (66) defeated Indian Sumit Nagal (129) 7-5 and 6-2 to reach the round of 16, where he will have to face Lorenzo Musetti (16). 

The day ended with the brotherly duel between the Cerúndolo brothers, one of only 12 clashes between two brothers since 1990 and the first in the Argentine Open.

There was nothing unusual in the result, however. Francisco (28) showcased his faster, more aggressive game from the get-go. Two breaks in the last four games were enough for him to close the set 6-2 over brother Juan Manuel (139). 

It was much the same way in the second, with Francisco racing to a 3-0 lead, holding it to win the second set 6-3, dropping the curtain on Wednesday’s action.

Cover photo: Alexander Zverev. Credit: Argentina Open 2025