The path of Daniel Galan from Santander until he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open

Little by little, Santander tennis player Daniel Galán Riveros takes charge of writing important pages in the Colombian “white sport”.

It was a hard fight to settle among the top 100 tennis players on the planet, a place where he’s flirted a few times, but it didn’t get the desired yes, until this season took the leap it needed.

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That’s how hard the steps he took to become a professional were. At some point, he put everything aside, including studying, to focus fully on his dream, and with great sacrifices, he achieved it.

Then he became the best in Colombia, the first major tournaments arrived and then the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

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Now, the 26-year-old Bumangués has made the long-awaited move into the main draw for the US Open, the only superb tennis he needs, after reaching the first round at Australia 2020, third at Roland Garros 2020 and third. At Wimbledon 2022, as the best results.

And he did so strongly in the three matches he played in the qualifying stage.

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There, he beat Italian Luciano Darderi on his debut, 6-3 6-2; In the second show, he beat Australian Max Purcell 7-6, 6-4. In the final match, he gave the Italian Matteo Al-Naldi 6-4, 7-6.

In this way, Galán Riveros, nephew of “Pactichos” Riveros, famous Santander footballers, becomes the fifth Colombian “Major Draw” in all Grand Slam tournaments, after Alejandro Falla, Santiago Giraldo, Alejandro Gonzalez and Mauricio Haddad.

In the American event, faces will appear, on Monday night, against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked fifth in the world, a very tough opponent.