Navone survived a four-ball scare and advanced in Brussels

There is a type of tennis match that seems decided until someone refuses to give up. That was the case in Brussels, where Mariano Navone survived Juan Manuel Cerúndolo's four set points in the tie-break, won the first set and then managed the second with much more freedom. The final score was 7-6 (10) and 6-2, in 1 hour and 46 minutes.

The first set was a tightly contested affair. Both players held their serve without granting clear advantages until Cerúndolo broke serve and moved ahead 5-3. Navone, the player from Nueve de Julio, reacted, recovered the break and forced the tie-break. The sets then became a matter of pure resistance, with Cerúndolo finding four opportunities to take the set and Navone saving all of them.

A tie-break with more tension than a final

Navone closed the tie-break 12-10 in the most demanding moments of the match. That partial changed the weight of the encounter. With the first set secured, the Argentine arrived at the second with more confidence and began to impose his game from the baseline. After an even start at 2-2, he won two consecutive breaks, took advantage of his opponent's errors and controlled the rest of the set.

The 6-2 score does not reflect how close the duel was at the beginning. It does show the difference between surviving a key point and handling pressure once the match had moved into a more comfortable rhythm. Navone's victory is especially valuable because it came at the start of his European indoor swing, a surface that requires specific adjustments.

• Navone defeated Cerúndolo 7-6 (10) and 6-2.
• He saved four set points in the first-set tie-break.
• The match lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes.
• He will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.

Griekspoor, the Dutch player, reached the second round after defeating Germany's Max Schoenhaus, ranked 302 in the ATP standings, in three sets: 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5) and 7-5. His victory was not simple either, but Navone's challenge now comes against an opponent who also had to work hard to advance.

“Can Navone maintain this level against Griekspoor and continue advancing in Brussels? The question is now on the court.”Diego Villalba, Deportes