Could rough waters be ahead for Taylor Fritz?
On Friday, the American No. 1 will face Argentina’s Francisco Comesana for a spot in the Round of 16. And even though Comesana, often referred to as “The Shark,” was—at world No. 108—one of the last players accepted into the tournament, he won’t be an easy out. Over the last few months, the Argentinian has developed a reputation for taking a bite out of Grand Slam draws when it’s least expected. He’s already shocked one seed this fortnight: World No. 17 Ugo Humbert fell to Comesana in four sets on Wednesday.
Below, learn more about Comesana’s impressive resume.
With just two appearances in the main draw of a Grand Slam, Comesana has already made a major impact.
Ranked world No. 100 and competing in his first-ever Grand Slam match at Wimbledon this past July, Comesana fired down 21 aces and hit 46 winners to stun No. 6 seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the tournament. (Rublev became so frustrated during this encounter, he went viral for hitting himself with his racquet.) The victory also marked Comesana’s first tour-level win ever, as he’d built his ranking primarily playing Challengers on clay. After besting Rublev, Comesana would go on to defeat Australia’s Adam Walton in a grueling four-hour-and-eight-minute five-setter that ended in a final set tiebreak. Two days later, he pushed eventual semifinalist and No. 25 seed Lorenzo Musetti to four sets in their third-round meeting. Both Rublev and Musetti, incidentally, praised their lower-ranked opponent’s fight in press following their respective battles with the Argentinian.
Amazingly, Comesana has still not claimed a tour-level match outside of the Grand Slams. But he’s now 4-1 at those events after the upset of Humbert. Perhaps somewhat worrisome for Fritz, a Top 20 player has yet to beat Comesana at one! (We know, the sample size is small.)
At 23, he has a great deal of experience hoisting championship hardware.
Since 2021, Comesana has contested nine ITF World Tennis finals (capturing six) and seven ATP Challenger finals (capturing five). Two of those Challenger titles came in his home country against compatriot Mariano Navone, who has also quickly risen into the upper echelons of the sport. (Navone recently made headlines for his four-hour, three-set loss to none-other-than Rafael Nadal at the Swedish Open in July.) A victory at a Challenger in Oeiras, Portugal propelled Comesana into the world’s Top 100 for the first time in April, which ultimately afforded him the opportunity to compete at Wimbledon two months later.
Argentinian fans call him “El Tiburon”—or “The Shark.”
Peruse social media posts about Comesana, and you’re bound to come across a shark emoji. There are a couple of explanations for the nickname, says Argentinian tennis journalist Danny Miche. For one, Comesana grew up by the beach. He hails from the coastal city Mar Del Plata, situated right along the Atlantic Ocean. For another, a shark is an intimidating animal and therefore just a cool moniker.
“But also, there is a soccer team in Mar Del Plata called Club Atlético Aldosivi, and they are [nicknamed] El Tiburon too,” Miche says. “He is a fan of that club.”
Comesana made reference to “El Tiburon” at the conclusion of his first-round match against Dominic Stricker, lifting his hand up to his forehand to resemble a fin.
He may be a shark on the court, but he’s a family man at his core.
Comesana invited his family to come to New York and attend the US Open. After shaking hands with the umpire following the Humbert battle, Comesana created one of the most heartwarming moments of the 2024 Open so far: He immediately rushed over to the stands to hug his mother, who was celebrating her birthday.
"I'm too excited,” Comesana’s mom told ESPN Deportes after attending the match. “I love my children. I'm not interested in knowing about tennis. My only role is to accompany them as a mother. I just want them to be happy."
Comesana will no doubt be more than happy if he can put on another show inside Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday.
