Etcheverry outlasts Kecmanovic in four-hour marathon for first AO five-set win

Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry reached the second round of the Australian Open on Sunday night after a grueling 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. In a physical battle that lasted 3 hours and 54 minutes, the world number 57 displayed immense resilience to overturn a two-sets-to-one deficit and secure his place in the round of 64.

The victory marks a significant career milestone for Etcheverry, as it is the first time he has won a five-set match at the Australian Open.

Despite having reached the third round in Melbourne in 2024, the Argentine had previously struggled to close out marathons at this tournament, including a painful five-set defeat to American Marcos Giron in the second round last year.

Kecmanovic’s deja-vu

On Sunday, however, his physical conditioning and heavy baseline game proved to be the difference-maker as he broke Kecmanovic early in the fifth set and never looked back.

For Miomir Kecmanovic, the loss is a case of devastating deja vu. The Serbian has now been eliminated from the Australian Open in a five-set battle for the second consecutive year, following his third-round heartbreaker against Holger Rune in 2025. 

Etcheverry now advances to face a surprising second-round opponent in English qualifier Arthur Fery. Fery caused one of the biggest upsets of the opening day by defeating the 20th seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. While Etcheverry will enter the match as the favorite, he will need to recover quickly from his four-hour marathon to handle the confidence and variety of the young Briton.

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