Tomás Martín Etcheverry carried Argentina’s flag into the second week of the US Open on Friday, defeating countryman Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Argentine third-round match. The victory sent Etcheverry into the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows for the first time in his career. He is also the first Argentine man to reach that stage of the US Open since Diego Schwartzman in 2021.
Etcheverry, the No. 27 seed, needed two hours and 26 minutes to end one of the tournament’s most surprising runs. Navone arrived in the third round after stunning 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in five sets on the opening night and then eliminating former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Against Etcheverry, however, Navone could not reproduce the relentless performance that carried him through those two demanding matches. Etcheverry used his larger frame and heavier serve to dictate more of the play. He secured one decisive break in each of the opening two sets, protecting those advantages without allowing Navone a clear path back into the match.
The pattern continued in the third. Etcheverry remained composed from the baseline, took control of the important points and completed the victory in straight sets. The result represents Etcheverry’s best performance in five appearances at the US Open. His previous best Grand Slam showing came at the 2023 French Open, where he reached the quarterfinals without losing a set before falling to Alexander Zverev.
The 27-year-old from La Plata has enjoyed another breakthrough season in 2026. He captured his first ATP Tour singles title at the Rio Open in February, adding a major clay-court achievement to a résumé that had already included three runner-up finishes. His success in New York is particularly significant for Argentine tennis. The country has a long Grand Slam tradition, led by US Open champions Guillermo Vilas, Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martín del Potro, but its men have struggled to reach the closing stages of recent majors.
Etcheverry will now face American Alex Michelsen on Sunday for a place in the quarterfinals. Michelsen, ranked No. 46, advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Daniel Mérida. The matchup gives Etcheverry a realistic opportunity to equal his best result at a Grand Slam, although Michelsen will have the support of the New York crowd and has not dropped a set during his first US Open run to the fourth round.
Navone leaves the tournament with the biggest victory of his career and one of the defining upsets of the 2026 US Open. His five-set defeat of Djokovic handed the Serbian his first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since 2006 and his first ever at Flushing Meadows. But Friday belonged to Etcheverry, who turned an all-Argentine contest into a place among the final 16 and kept South American hopes alive heading into the tournament’s second week.
