Grande Guido! Pella Scores 100th Win In Cincinnati
Guido Pella’s career-best year on the ATP Tour got even better on Monday at the Western & Southern Open. The Argentine defeated #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6(4) for his 100th tour-level win.
“I knew that I was pretty close to 100 wins, but I didn’t count, so this is a big surprise for me,” said Pella. “To win more than 30 matches this year is something I didn’t expect, so I’m very happy.”
Pella’s victory marked his 32nd of the season. The 29-year-old started the year at No. 58 in the ATP Rankings, but currently sits at No. 22 on the back of results that include his first ATP Tour title in Sao Paulo (d. Garin) and first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon.
His third-round Wimbledon win over Kevin Anderson was the fourth Top 10 victory of his career and second at SW19, having taken out Marin Cilic the previous year. In a career filled with highlights, his high-profile victories over the world’s best players are what stand out most to him.
“Beating Janko Tipsarevic was my first big moment because that was my first Top 10 win, but beating Anderson and Cilic was also very special,” said Pella. "I love to play in full stadiums against great players. But I know when I play someone like Anderson or Cilic, the fans are there to watch them and not me, and I can feel that.
“When I started to play good and win a set or two, they started to cheer for me and that was an unbelievable feeling. I play a lot of matches on the outside courts, so being in a stadium is a totally different atmosphere.”
It’s an atmosphere which Pella has become far more familiar with. The Argentine has reached at least the quarter-finals in eight ATP Tour events this year and picked up 57 of his 100 tour-level wins in the past two seasons.
With minimal ATP Rankings points to defend for the rest of 2019, Pella has put himself in a strong position to crack the Top 20 and continue to climb.
“I think my mind has been in the right place for the past two seasons. That’s why I’ve won so many matches,” said Pella. “I like to be in this position, so I want to keep improving my game and my mind.”