Ugo Carabelli Makes Challenger Debut At Home

Camilo Ugo Carabelli had all the local support he could ask for in the biggest match of his young career at this week’s $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Buenos Aires.

The 17-year-old Buenos Aires native made his Challenger main draw debut on Monday against top seed Horacio Zeballos. Although he lost in straight sets, Ugo Carabelli said he relished the chance to compete against a player inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“It was terrific to play my first Challenger in Buenos Aires with my girlfriend, family and school friends in the crowd,” said Ugo Carabelli. “I couldn’t find my rhythm in the beginning, but then I relaxed and began to enjoy the game.”

Ugo Carabelli has focused solely on pro tournaments since May, competing exclusively on the ITF Futures circuit. Although he’s started to enjoy success at those events, he admitted not yet being used to facing established players like Zeballos.

“This was a very good opportunity for me because he has more experience and more speed,” said Ugo Carabelli. “I enjoyed being on the court with ballboys and a large crowd. It’s an environment that I’m not yet used to, so it was a unique experience.”

The teenager has started to serve notice of his talent with Argentina, with some of the best players in the country inviting him to train with them. He’s hopeful that as he continues to surround himself with some of the staple players on the ATP World Tour, his tennis will improve at a more rapid pace.

“I trained with Juan Monaco and Zeballos, which was great. I broke their serves a couple of times, but a live match is something else,” sad Ugo Carabelli. “I hope to be a little more adapted to them within a couple of years.”