Schwartzman saves four match points to outlast Cuevas in Buenos Aires

Less than 24 hours after winning his opener in Buenos Aires, top-seeded Diego Schwartzman escaped with another taxing victory to the delight of his home fans.

The world No. 14 fended off four match points—and a left groin injury—to squeak past Pablo Cuevas, 5-7, 7-6 (11), 7-5, in three hours and 42 minutes on Friday evening. Schwartzman sustained the injury when he reached match point up 5-4 in the third set and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to recover in time for his final four meeting with first-time ATP semifinalist Pedro Sousa. In a pair of tweets Schwartzman posted, the 27-year-old said he was examined afterwards and will make a final decision Saturday morning.

All four of Cuevas’ opportunities to close out the clash came in the second set tiebreaker, at 6-5, 9-8, 10-9, and 11-10. Though Schwartzman’s mobility was clearly hampered late in the decider, the Uruguayan tightened up once more, double faulting to end the marathon. He was bidding to defeat Schwartzman for the third straight time at a Golden Swing event dating back to 2017.

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The runner-up last year, Schwartzman is aiming to lift his first ATP trophy on home soil. He came close last week, when he took a one-set lead over Cristian Garin in the Cordoba final. In 2019, Schwartzman won his biggest title to date at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Rio de Janeiro, where he will hope to be fit enough to defend his crown next week.

Lucky loser Sousa defeated Thiago Montero, 7-6 (5), 6-4, to complete the semifinal lineup. Eighth seed Casper Ruud and Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero will face off in Saturday’s first contest. Along with Montero, Ruud is seeking his first tour-level title.