Houston (USA), .- The young Colombian tennis player Daniel Elahi Galán tonight gave the big surprise in the tournament in Houston to win in the second round by 6-3 and 6-3 to the double defending champion, the American Steve Johnson, and went to the quarterfinals.
Galán, 22, number 241 of the world, who entered the main draw through the qualifying phase, gave a good tennis exhibition and ran Johnson, first seed, in just one hour and 14 minutes that lasted match.
The Colombian tennis player, native of Bucaramanga, who was facing for the first time Johnson, number 29 of the world, imposed his best serve, put two ‘aces’ and did not commit any double fault to never give it up, and was safe and precise in the rest and in the exchange of blows from the back of the court.
That allowed him to break Johnson three times in the opportunities that gave the champion of the last two editions of the tournament, without giving any to the American tennis player, although he had the support of local fans.
Galán finished the game with 64 points won, including 27 with the exchange of punches, and 37 with his serve, compared to 48 for Johnson, who barely managed 13 with his rest and right-wing shots.
Galán’s rival in the quarterfinals will be the winner of the match played tonight by his compatriot Santiago Giraldo, who also reached the main draw through the qualifying stage, and the Australian Jordan Thompson.
If the duel is with Giraldo it will be the first that both Colombian tennis players keep within the ATP circuit and the same will happen if the rival is Thompson.
The day also left the triumph of the American Sam Querrey, eighth seed, who won by 6-4 and 6-3 to the Spaniard Guillermo García-López and play the quarter-finals against the Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, number 372 of the world, who prevailed by 6-3 and 6-4 to Englishman Cameron Norrie.
The duel between Querrey and Tipsaveric will be the eighth to star in the ATP circuit and the advantage is for the Serbian tennis player 4-3 in the previous seven, although they have not met since the US Open in 2016.
The Houston tournament is the only one of the season of the ATP circuit of the 250 series that takes place in the United States on clay and distributes cash prizes of $ 584,585. (EFE)
