Horacio Zeballos

Horacio Zeballos Jr. (locally [oˈɾasjo seˈβaʃos];[1] born 27 April 1985) is an Argentine professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 39, achieved in March 2013, and his career-high doubles ranking is world No. 3, achieved in September 2019. In doubles, he has reached the men's doubles finals at the 2019 US Open and Wimbledon 2021 alongside Marcel Granollers. In singles, he has reached the fourth round at the French Open, doing so in 2017.

Horacio Zeballos
Horacio Zeballos (19826056265).jpg
Zeballos in 2015
Country (sports) Argentina
ResidenceBuenos Aires, Argentina
Born (1985-04-27) 27 April 1985 (age 38)
Mar del Plata, Argentina
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro2003
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
CoachAlejandro Lombardo
Prize money$6,596,357
Singles
Career record91–133 (40.6% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 39 (4 March 2013)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018)
French Open4R (2017)
Wimbledon2R (2018)
US Open2R (2009, 2016)
Doubles
Career record291–187 (60.9% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles19
Highest rankingNo. 3 (9 September 2019)
Current rankingNo. 18 (24 April 2023)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (2022, 2023)
French OpenSF (2013, 2022)
WimbledonF (2021)
US OpenF (2019)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2020, 2021)
Olympic Games1R (2021)
Medal record
Men's tennis
Representing  Argentina
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2007 Rio de Janeiro Men's doubles
Last updated on: 24 April 2023.

Zeballos won his first ATP title at the 2013 VTR Open in Chile on 10 February. In the final, he beat Rafael Nadal, becoming one of only four players (with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) to beat Nadal in a clay-court final.[2]

He has also reached the final in the St. Petersburg Open in Russia, losing to Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky. He reached the doubles final at the Movistar Open in Santiago, Chile, in 2010 with partner Potito Starace. They lost to top seeds Łukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach. He won the title in doubles at the Copa Telmex with Sebastián Prieto. Zeballos won the 2009 ATP Newcomer of the Year award.

Personal lifeEdit

Zeballos is an Argentine of Spanish descent. He enjoys music, ping-pong, and swimming. His father is also named Horacio Zeballos, and his mother is named Carolina. He has one sister, Carolina Jr. His favorite surface is clay, and Alejandro Lombardo coaches him.

Tennis careerEdit

2008-2009: First ATP singles finalEdit

Zeballos competed primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he won five singles titles and six doubles titles.

He reached his first ATP Tour final at the St. Petersburg Open, defeating Yuri Schukin, Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr., Ernests Gulbis and Igor Kunitsyn before falling in the final to Stakhovsky in a third-set tiebreak.

2010: First ATP title & Grand Slam semifinal in doublesEdit

Zeballos started the singles season in a slump, falling in the first round four times, but had an excellent start to the doubles season. In his first tournament, the Heineken Open, Zeballos and Rogier Wassen defeated the world No. 1 team Bob and Mike Bryan. Zeballos then reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open with countryman Leonardo Mayer and reached the final at the Movistar Open with Italian Potito Starace. Zeballos then turned to the clay in the Copa Telmex in Argentina, where in the first round, he defeated countryman and former French Open champion Gastón Gaudio. It was Zeballos' first ATP singles win since he reached the final in St. Petersburg. Zeballos next defeated former world No. 1 Carlos Moyá and reached his first ATP quarterfinal since October, where he then lost to countryman Juan Mónaco. In doubles, Zeballos and countryman Sebastián Prieto were the fourth seed and won the title against Simon Greul and Peter Luczak. It was Zeballos' first career ATP title. The following week, at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Zeballos lost in the first round to Łukasz Kubot. He made it to the doubles semifinals with partner Mónaco.

Zeballos was selected for the Argentine Davis Cup team for the first time. He played doubles with David Nalbandian against the Swedish pair of Robert Lindstedt and Robin Söderling. They won in straight sets. Zeballos reached a career milestone as he defeated his first-ever top-25 player, 24th ranked Gilles Simon, in the second round at the Sony Ericsson Open. He then lost in the third round to the eventual finalist Tomáš Berdych.

At the US Men's Clay Court Championships, he defeated Taylor Dent, Dudi Sela, and world No. 11 Fernando González for his first top-15 win and the biggest one of his career. He then faced eventual champion Juan Ignacio Chela in the semifinals, where he lost in straight sets.

At the US Open, Zeballos, with partner Eduardo Schwank, reached the semifinals in doubles.

2011-2012: French Open quarterfinal in doublesEdit

Zeballos played mostly on the Challenger circuit in singles. He did not make it past the second round in any ATP events. He had more success in doubles, where he won his second title at the 2011 BMW Open partnering Simone Bolelli.

In 2012, he made it to the semifinals in Viña de Mar and Buenos Aires. At Roland Garros, he and partner Oliver Marach made it to the quarterfinals, where they were beaten by the Bryan brothers.

2013: First ATP title & top 40 in singles, French Open doubles semifinalEdit

Zeballos won his first ATP singles title at Viña del Mar, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in three sets in his comeback tournament.[2] This victory made Zeballos one of the only four players who have beaten Nadal in a final on clay (the others are Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray).

2014-15: Loss of form, out of singles top 100 & doubles top 50Edit

2016: Four doubles titlesEdit

He won three doubles titles with Julio Peralta and one with Andres Molteni.

2017-18: French Open fourth round in singles & quarters in doubles, 4 more titlesEdit

Zeballos' first match in the 2017 Australian Open was a 5-hour and 15-minute loss to Ivo Karlović, the second longest match by time at the Australian Open in the Open Era.[3]

In June 2017 at Roland Garros, he had his best performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the fourth round. He was beaten by 6th seed Dominic Thiem in straight sets. At the same tournament, he reached the quarterfinals partnering Julio Peralta.

2019-21: New partnership, US Open & Wimbledon finals, World No. 3, 4 Masters titlesEdit

Zeballos won his first ATP Masters 1000 Doubles Title at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open with Nikola Mektić. They defeated sixth-seeded Łukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the final. Zeballos became the first ATP Masters doubles champion from Argentina since 1997 after Luis Lobo at the Hamburg Masters.

With his new partner Marcel Granollers, he has won 6 titles thus far, starting in August 2019, and also made his first Grand Slam doubles final at the 2019 US Open, losing to the world No. 1 and top-seeded pair Farah/Cabal. As a result, he reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in doubles on 9 September 2019.

The pair won 3 Masters 1000: the 2019 Canadian Open, the 2020 Italian Open, and the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open.[4] They also reached the 2021 Wimbledon Championships final losing to world No. 1 and top seeds Mektic/Pavic.[5]

In August 2021, they reached a second Masters 1000 final for 2021 and fourth overall at the 2021 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, defeating Arévalo/Fognini.[6] They defeated Austin Krajicek and Steve Johnson in the final to win their fourth Masters.[7]

2022: Two Major semifinals, five Masters quarterfinals, Third straight ATP FinalsEdit

Zebalos and Granollers qualified for their third consecutive ATP finals, having advanced to the semifinals of the year-end championships in 2020 and 2021.[8]

Significant finalsEdit

Grand Slam tournament finalsEdit

Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)Edit

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2019 US Open Hard   Marcel Granollers   Juan Sebastián Cabal
  Robert Farah
4–6, 5–7
Loss 2021 Wimbledon Grass   Marcel Granollers   Nikola Mektić
  Mate Pavić
4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 5–7

Masters 1000 finalsEdit

Doubles: 5 (5 titles)Edit

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2019 Indian Wells Masters Hard   Nikola Mektić   Łukasz Kubot
  Marcelo Melo
4–6, 6–4, [10–3]
Win 2019 Canadian Open Hard   Marcel Granollers   Robin Haase
  Wesley Koolhof
7–5, 7–5
Win 2020 Italian Open Clay   Marcel Granollers   Jérémy Chardy
  Fabrice Martin
6–4, 5–7, [10–8]
Win 2021 Madrid Open Clay   Marcel Granollers   Nikola Mektić
  Mate Pavić
1–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Win 2021 Cincinnati Masters Hard   Marcel Granollers   Steve Johnson
  Austin Krajicek
7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–5)

ATP career finalsEdit

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)Edit

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (1–1)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (1–0)
Indoor (0–1)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Nov 2009 St. Petersburg Open, Russia 250 Series Hard (i)   Sergiy Stakhovsky 6–2, 6–7(8–10), 6–7(7–9)
Win 1–1 Feb 2013 Chile Open, Chile 250 Series Clay   Rafael Nadal 6–7(2–7), 7–6(8–6), 6–4

Doubles: 34 (19 titles, 15 runner-ups)Edit

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–2)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (5–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (3–1)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (11–12)
Titles by surface
Hard (5–6)
Clay (13–7)
Grass (1–2)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (18–13)
Indoor (1–2)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Feb 2010 Argentina Open,
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Sebastián Prieto   Simon Greul
  Peter Luczak
7–6(7–4), 6–3
Loss 1–1 Feb 2010 Chile Open,
Chile
250 Series Clay   Potito Starace   Łukasz Kubot
  Oliver Marach
4–6, 0–6
Win 2–1 May 2011 Bavarian Championships,
Germany
250 Series Clay   Simone Bolelli   Andreas Beck
  Christopher Kas
7–6(7–3), 6–4
Loss 2–2 Sep 2013 Malaysian Open,
Malaysia
250 Series Hard (i)   Pablo Cuevas   Eric Butorac
  Raven Klaasen
2–6, 4–6
Loss 2–3 Feb 2014 Argentina Open,
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Pablo Cuevas   Marcel Granollers
  Marc López
5–7, 4–6
Win 3–3 Feb 2016 Brasil Open,
Brazil
250 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   Pablo Carreño Busta
  David Marrero
4–6, 6–1, [10–5]
Win 4–3 Jul 2016 Swiss Open,
Switzerland
250 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   Mate Pavić
  Michael Venus
7–6(7–2), 6–2
Win 5–3 Aug 2016 Atlanta Open,
United States
250 Series Hard   Andrés Molteni   Johan Brunström
  Andreas Siljeström
7–6(7–2), 6–4
Win 6–3 Sep 2016 Moselle Open,
France
250 Series Hard (i)   Julio Peralta   Mate Pavić
  Michael Venus
6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Loss 6–4 Feb 2017 Ecuador Open,
Ecuador
250 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   James Cerretani
  Philipp Oswald
3–6, 1–2 ret.
Win 7–4 Apr 2017 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships,
United States
250 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   Dustin Brown
  Frances Tiafoe
4–6, 7–5, [10–6]
Loss 7–5 Aug 2017 Winston-Salem Open,
United States
250 Series Hard   Julio Peralta   Jean-Julien Rojer
  Horia Tecău
3–6, 4–6
Loss 7–6 Sep 2017 St. Petersburg Open,
Russia
250 Series Hard (i)   Julio Peralta   Roman Jebavý
  Matwé Middelkoop
4–6, 4–6
Loss 7–7 Jan 2018 Brisbane International,
Australia
250 Series Hard   Leonardo Mayer   Henri Kontinen
  John Peers
6–3, 3–6, [2–10]
Win 8–7 Feb 2018 Argentina Open (2),
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Andrés Molteni   Juan Sebastián Cabal
  Robert Farah
6–3, 5–7, [10–3]
Win 9–7 Jul 2018 Swedish Open,
Sweden
250 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   Simone Bolelli
  Fabio Fognini
6–3, 6–4
Win 10–7 Jul 2018 German Open,
Germany
500 Series Clay   Julio Peralta   Oliver Marach
  Mate Pavić
6–1, 4–6, [10–6]
Loss 10–8 Feb 2019 Córdoba Open,
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Máximo González   Roman Jebavý
  Andrés Molteni
4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Win 11–8 Feb 2019 Argentina Open (3),
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Máximo González   Diego Schwartzman
  Dominic Thiem
6–1, 6–1
Win 12–8 Mar 2019 Indian Wells Masters,
United States
Masters 1000 Hard   Nikola Mektić   Łukasz Kubot
  Marcelo Melo
4–6, 6–4, [10–3]
Loss 12–9 Jun 2019 Eastbourne International,
United Kingdom
250 Series Grass   Máximo González   Juan Sebastián Cabal
  Robert Farah
6–3, 6–7(4–7), [6–10]
Loss 12–10 Jul 2019 Swedish Open,
Sweden
250 Series Clay   Federico Delbonis   Sander Gillé
  Joran Vliegen
7–5(7–5), 5–7, [5–10]
Win 13–10 Aug 2019 Canadian Open,
Canada
Masters 1000 Hard   Marcel Granollers   Robin Haase
  Wesley Koolhof
7–5, 7–5
Loss 13–11 Sep 2019 US Open,
United States
Grand Slam Hard   Marcel Granollers   Juan Sebastián Cabal
  Robert Farah
4–6, 5–7
Win 14–11 Feb 2020 Argentina Open (4),
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Marcel Granollers   Guillermo Durán
  Juan Ignacio Londero
6–4, 5–7, [18–16]
Win 15–11 Feb 2020 Rio Open,
Brazil
500 Series Clay   Marcel Granollers   Salvatore Caruso
  Federico Gaio
6–4, 5–7, [10–7]
Loss 15-12 Sep 2020 Austrian Open Kitzbühel,
Austria
250 Series Clay   Marcel Granollers   Austin Krajicek
  Franko Škugor
6–7(5–7), 5–7
Win 16–12 Sep 2020 Italian Open,
Italy
Masters 1000 Clay   Marcel Granollers   Jérémy Chardy
  Fabrice Martin
6–4, 5–7, [10–8]
Loss 16–13 Mar 2021 Mexican Open,
Mexico
500 Series Hard   Marcel Granollers   Ken Skupski
  Neal Skupski
6–7(3–7), 4–6
Win 17–13 May 2021 Madrid Open,
Spain
Masters 1000 Clay   Marcel Granollers   Nikola Mektić
  Mate Pavić
1–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Loss 17–14 Jul 2021 Wimbledon Championships,
United Kingdom
Grand Slam Grass   Marcel Granollers   Nikola Mektić
  Mate Pavić
4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 5–7
Win 18–14 Aug 2021 Cincinnati Masters,
United States
Masters 1000 Hard   Marcel Granollers   Steve Johnson
  Austin Krajicek
7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–5)
Loss 18–15 Feb 2022 Argentina Open,
Argentina
250 Series Clay   Fabio Fognini   Santiago González
  Andrés Molteni
1–6, 1–6
Win 19–15 Jun 2022 Halle Open,
Germany
500 Series Grass   Marcel Granollers   Tim Pütz
  Michael Venus
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [14–12]

Challenger finals: 23 (12–11)Edit

Legend
ATP Challenger Tour (12–11)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–1)
Clay (9–10)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 22 June 2008 Recanati, Italy Hard   Grega Žemlja 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 1. 28 September 2008 Bogotá, Colombia Clay   Marcos Daniel 4–6, 6–4, 4–6
Winner 2. 1 February 2009 Bucaramanga, Colombia Clay   Carlos Salamanca 7–5, 6–2
Winner 3. 22 March 2009 Bogotá, Colombia Clay   Santiago González 7–6(7–3), 6–0
Runner-up 2. 3 May 2009 Pereira, Colombia Clay   Alejandro Falla 4–6, 6–4, 2–6
Runner-up 3. 19 July 2009 Bogotá, Colombia Clay   Marcos Daniel 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 4–6
Winner 4. 26 July 2009 Manta, Ecuador Hard   Vincent Millot 3–6, 7–5, 6–3
Winner 5. 9 August 2009 Campos do Jordão, Brazil Clay   Thiago Alves 6–7(7–4), 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 4. 20 September 2009 Cali, Colombia Clay   Alejandro Falla 4–6, 3–6
Winner 6. 4 October 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay   Gastón Gaudio 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Runner-up 5. 6 March 2011 Salinas, Ecuador Hard   Andrés Molteni 5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Runner-up 6. 15 May 2011 Bordeaux, France Clay   Marc Gicquel 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up 7. 1 April 2012 Barranquilla, Colombia Clay   Alejandro Falla 4–6, 1–6
Winner 7. 13 May 2012 Prague, Czech Republic Clay   Martin Kližan 1–6, 6–4, 7–6(8–6)
Winner 8. 4 November 2012 Montevideo, Uruguay Clay   Julian Reister 6–3, 6–2
Winner 9. 11 November 2012 São Leopoldo, Brazil Clay   Paul Capdeville 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–2)
Winner 10. 6 January 2013 São Paulo, Brazil Hard   Rogério Dutra da Silva 7–6(7–5), 6–2>
Runner-up 8. 15 July 2014 Svijany, Czech Republic Clay   Andrej Martin 6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Runner-up 9. 22 May 2016 Mestre, Italy Clay   Gastao Elias 6–7, 2–6
Winner 11. 19 June 2016 Poprad, Slovakia Clay   Gerald Melzer 6–3, 6–4
Winner 12. 9 July 2016 Båstad, Sweden Clay   Roberto Carballés Baena 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 10. 7 Nov 2016 Bogota, Colombia Clay   Facundo Bagnis 6–3, 2–6, 6–7(4–7)
Runner-up 11. 9 Oct 2017 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay   Nicolás Kicker 7–6(7–5), 0–6, 5–7

Performance timelinesEdit

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

SinglesEdit

Current through 2018 Wimbledon.

Tournament 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R A A 1R 1R Q1 A 1R 1R 0–5
French Open A 2R A 2R 2R Q2 Q1 1R 4R 2R 7–6
Wimbledon A 1R A A 1R A 1R 1R 1R 2R 1–6
US Open 2R 1R 1R Q1 1R Q1 Q1 2R 1R A 2–6
Win–loss 1–1 1–4 0–1 1–1 1–4 0–1 0–1 1–3 3–4 2–3 10–23
Year-end ranking 45 110 109 85 56 123 124 71 66 173

DoublesEdit

Current through the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters .

Tournament 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 3R A A 1R 1R 2R A 1R 1R QF 3R 1R SF SF 0 / 11 16–11 59%
French Open 1R 2R A QF SF 2R 1R 1R QF 2R 1R 3R 2R SF 0 / 13 20–13 61%
Wimbledon A 2R A A 2R A A 1R 2R 2R 3R NH F A 0 / 7 11–7 61%
US Open A SF 2R 1R 3R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R F 2R QF 1R 0 / 13 17–13 57%
Win–loss 0–1 8–4 1–1 3–2 7–4 1–3 1–3 0–3 5–4 3–4 10–4 4–3 9–4 8–3 4–1 0 / 43 64-44 59%
Year-end championship
ATP Finals Did not qualify SF SF RR 0 / 3 3–8 27%
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters A A A 1R A A A A A SF W NH 1R 2R 1R 1 / 6 9–5 64%
Miami Open A A A A 1R 2R A A 1R A QF NH 1R QF 1R 0 / 7 5–7 42%
Monte-Carlo Masters A A A A A A A A A A SF NH SF QF 1R 0 / 4 6–4 60%
Madrid Open A A A A 2R A A A A A 2R NH W QF 1 / 4 6–3 67%
Italian Open A A A A A A A A A 1R QF W QF A 1 / 4 9–3 75%
Canadian Open A A A A A A A A A A W NH A QF 1 / 2 7–1 88%
Cincinnati Masters A A A A A A A A A A 2R QF W QF 1 / 4 8–3 73%
Shanghai Masters A A A A A A A A A QF 2R NH 0 / 2 3–2 60%
Paris Masters A A A A A A A A A A 2R 2R A 2R 0 / 3 1–3 25%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 6–3 21–7 7–2 9–3 6-7 0–3 5 / 36 51–30 63%
Year-end ranking 79 33 88 63 40 79 72 45 38 29 4 3 6 14 $6,570,965

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ "The pronunciation by Horacio Zeballos himself". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Tennis: Nadal denied title in comeback tournament", Global Post, 10 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Karlovic Fires into Australian Open Record Books with Zeballos Win | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  4. ^ "Granollers/Zeballos Fight Back for Madrid Doubles Crown | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  5. ^ "Nikola Mektic/MatePavic Capture First Grand Slam Title at Wimbledon | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  6. ^ "Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos Reach Cincinnati Final | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  7. ^ "Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos Clinch Cincinnati Doubles Title | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  8. ^ "Granollers & Zeballos Set for Third Straight Nitto ATP Finals Appearance | ATP Tour | Tennis".

External linksEdit

Awards
Preceded by ATP Newcomer of the Year
2009
Succeeded by