Santiago Giraldo had a dream week on the red clay as he booked the first top-ten win of his career, beating reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2 in the Madrid Masters tournament quarterfinal.
The 26 year old from Pereira defeated ex world number one Leyton Hewitt (7-5, 4-6, 6-2) in the first round, then ousted world number 13 ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6-4, 6-3) on his way to the third round where he won against the Scot Andy Murray.
Giraldo was put out in the quarterfinal of the tournament by Spaniard Bautista (3-6, 4-6) but the week left him full of confidence.
On his highest ranking ever, the now number 36 in the ATP-ranking said in a regional interview that these wins were an incredible boost. Giraldo stated that his goal for the year is to reach the top thirty and maybe even top twenty, saying ‘The sky is the limit and I have to keep working hard to reach my maximum potential.’
The Colombian is having the best season of his career, and has already been in the final of Barcelona and semifinals in Houston and Viña del Mar. With the French Open starting on May 26, new opportunities for success are on the way.
