Laslo Djere was the breakout star of the Golden Swing in 2019, capturing a 500-point title in Rio de Janeiro to go along with a semifinal showing in Sao Paulo.
Now Djere, who began last February on the indoor hard courts of Europe and skipped this Cordoba Open, hopes success carries over from Brazil to Argentina. So far, so good. The 39th-ranked Serb has followed up a first-round bye with victories over Pedro Martinez and defending champion Juan Ignacio Londero–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker.
“I had no extra pressure,” said Djere, who faces another Argentine in Diego Schwartzman on Saturday. “He won last year; he had to defend many points. I know what it can be because it is what awaits me in Rio. The public was on his side and probably pushed him through difficult times. I tried to feed from people, too, and I am very happy with today’s victory…. To play two days against Argentines, I’m not very happy about that. I expect even more people tomorrow in favor of Diego. Today I could handle it and it is important that I stay focused.”
Schwartzman dominated their only previous encounter 7-6(2), 6-3 last summer in Cincinnati.
The world No. 14 is off to a good start in front of the home crowd, having defeated Jaume Munar and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets this week. He is coming off a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
All signs point to a Schwartzman victory in Saturday’s second semifinal. The top seed is in outstanding form and Djere needed two hours and 42 minutes to scrape past Londero on Friday.
Pick: Schwartzman in 2
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