US Open star throws up on court in brutal four-hour victory
Tomas Etcheverry struggled to cope with the heat on day three of the US Open.
Tomas Etcheverry found himself struggling to cope in the excruciating heat at the US Open. The world No. 33 outlasted Francisco Cerundolo in an all-Argentine battle in the second round - but not before he threw up on the court.
Moments after spraying vomit everywhere, Etcheverry sealed a 6-3 4-6 6-4 1-6 6-3 victory.
Temperatures exceeded 30C in New York on Wednesday, with the heat rule coming into effect on day three of the US Open. Several players were clearly struggling in the brutal conditions, but none more than Etcheverry.
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The 25-year-old found himself embroiled in a marathon battle with compatriot Cerundolo on Court 5 and was deep in the deciding set when the heat finally took its toll. Leading 4-1 in the fifth with almost four hours on the clock, he suddenly put his arm up and turned away.
Etcheverry couldn’t get back to his towel box in time and suddenly threw up all over himself as Cerundolo watched on in shock from the other side of the net.
Somehow, Etcheverry quickly managed to regroup. He pulled the 29th seed into a lengthy, three-deuce game but Cerundolo held on.
The world No. 33 eventually got the job done with four hours and four minutes on the clock, reaching the third round of the US Open for the first time in his career.
Etcheverry and Cerundolo embraced at the net after the marathon match - the world No. 29 clearly not put-off by the vomit. The lower-ranked Argentine will now face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in round three.
For now, he will be delighted to get revenge over Cerundolo after losing to his countryman in a memorable under-10s battle. Ahead of their US Open showdown, he told the ATP: "I still have that chip on my shoulder!
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"I remember it was a semi-final in Carilo. We were about nine, that’s when we met for the first time. The winner was guaranteed a beautiful trophy, the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, still today.
"And I was really upset because I lost to ‘Fran’ after having a match point. I cried so much that my family was worried. At some point, my dad told me not to play tennis anymore because he was seeing me suffer so much."
Etcheverry wasn't put off entirely. He continued to face his compatriot throughout the years as they climbed the ranks of professional tennis.
They even ended up "fighting" at a Futures event and had to sort things out off the court. But the bad blood is well and truly behind them - and Etcheverry has avenged his old losses.
