However, the future of this tournament presents a true challenge to stay on the calendar. In recent months, both the Argentina Open and the South American tour (which includes the ATP 500 in Rio and the ATP 250 in Santiago de Chile) received devastating news after it was confirmed that a new Masters 1000 will begin in Saudi Arabia starting in 2028, as reported by the Argentine News Agency. This new tournament would clash with the South American tour in the calendar, which would severely affect it as the top figures in world tennis would opt to play in Saudi lands for economic and ATP ranking point benefits. In this context, the president of the ATP, Italian Andrea Gaudenzi, was present at the Argentina Open and even met with the tournament organizers, to whom he is said to have offered a change of date at least from 2028 onwards, although there has been no official information on this matter. This is not the only problem for the Argentina Open tournament, as there is another issue that is causing concern. Even Brazilian João Fonseca, one of the great promises of world tennis, has already raised the possibility that the ATP 500 in Rio (and consequently the Argentina Open) be played on fast courts, which would once again attract top 10 players. It is worth noting that this year the only top 10 player was supposed to be Italian Lorenzo Musetti, but due to his withdrawal, the top seed ended up being Cerúndolo, who is ranked 19th in the ATP rankings. Another battle that the Argentina Open has been fighting for years is to become an ATP 500, which would attract many tennis players, as just a week later the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro is held, so players who compete in these events will have a more than considerable alternative to add good points to their ranking. It is for all these reasons that, looking ahead to 2028, the Argentina Open will have several options to not stagnate and continue to be an attractive tournament. On the one hand, there is the option of moving the date in the calendar, although the most viable could be the possibility of upgrading to ATP 500 and thus, together with the Rio de Janeiro tournament, try to compete with the Masters 1000 in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, there are fewer and fewer clay court specialists, so the number of top players who show up is decreasing. Additionally, the proximity of the South American tour to the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, which are on fast courts, also negatively affects. Buenos Aires, February 15 (NA) — A new edition of the Argentina Open came to an end this Sunday, after an exciting final in which Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo defeated Italian Luciano Darderi.
