Diego Schwartzman Reacts After Failing To Qualify For ATP Masters 1000-Level

Diego Schwartzman’s reaction after failing to meet the requirements for a Masters 1000-level event for the first time in seven years was “a mixture of sadness & happiness” at the Cincinnati Open.

Diego Schwartzman exited the qualifying rounds of the 2023 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati and was unable to advance to the main tournament.

Due to his poor World No. 98 ranking, Schwartzman was not given a straight admission into the main draw and had to participate in the qualifying rounds. He lost his second qualifying match, though. This will be the Argentine’s first missed opportunity to enter a Masters 1000-level tournament’s main draw in seven years.

On Instagram, he reminisced on this sombre occasion and shared his feelings about capping a 52-game streak in tournaments at the 1000-level that had begun in 2015. The 30-year-old expressed that he was experiencing a “mixture of sadness and happiness” and thanked everyone who had assisted him in realising his goals.

“52 masters 1000 played the main draw consecutively for seven years. I ended that streak today, feeling a mix of happiness and grief for having accomplished things in these years that I never could have anticipated. Thank you to everyone who brought me here when I was a child and to all of you on the other side who always sit on the bench. You make it possible for me to reach a large audience who, when I play well, enjoy seeing me play. This continues! Let’s move, move, move,” he wrote.

Diego Schwartzman defeated No. 13 seed Marcos Giron in Cincinnati’s first qualifying round, 6-4, 6-4. On August 13, he was defeated by Russian Alexander Shevchenko, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, in the second round. In order to compete in his final Masters 1000 event, the Canadian Open, the Argentine had to use qualifications as well. In Toronto, he won his qualifying matches over Canadian Liam Draxl and Australian Alexander Vukic before falling to eventual semifinalist Tommy Paul.

The 2015 Indian Wells Open saw the former French Open semifinalist make his Masters 1000 debut. He defeated Polish opponent Jerzy Janowicz in the first round with scores of 6-4, 3-6, and 7-6 (3). Schwartzman’s journey was ended in the second round by eventual finalist and No. 2 seed Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-2.

The Italian Open 2020 saw Diego Schwartzman’s greatest performance at the Masters 1000 level.

Diego Schwartzman placed in the final of the 2020 Italian Open, which was his highest performance in a Masters 1000 competition. In Rome that year, he had the No. 8 seed, and he used his skill on the clay to reach his first final in an event of that calibre.

The small Argentine had a bye in the first round before defeating No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and No. 12 seed Denis Shapovalov in the semifinals. He also defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the third round. In the championship match, top seed Novak Djokovic defeated him 7-5, 6-3 to snap his winning streak.

But for the former World No. 8, 2023 has been a very different tale. He dropped from being ranked No. 25 at the beginning of the year to No. 98 at the moment, even temporarily dropping out of the top 100 in June. Diego Schwartzman’s finest result so far this year was losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round of the French Open.