His cell phone rang and he had to run to silence it in the middle of the game.

Thursday’s day at ATP 250 of Santiago de Chile, that defined the quarterfinals of the tournament that is being played in San Carlos de Apoquindo, closed with a fun moment during the match between locals Alejandro Tabilo and Tomás Barrios Vera.

After losing the first set 6-2 and struggling in the second, Barrios Vera led 5-5, 0-30. A delicate moment of the meeting. However, the tension that prevailed on the Jaime Filliol court, the target of criticism in recent days for the state of the court, turned into laughter when His rival’s cell phone rang in the middle of the game.

“It’s the alarm I set to go to sleep,” explained Tabilo, who would end up taking the victory 6-2 and 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes of play to meet in the next instance with the Italian-Argentine Luciano Darderi, who left Juan Manuel Cerúndolo on the road in three partial.

“It’s to hit him,” Barrio Vera joked after the match.

This unusual situation is reminiscent of Gaston Gaudio, who was involved in a similar situation during the ATP of Viña del Mar 2005, also in Chile. He was facing the Spanish David Sánchez in the second round when his cell phone rang. The curious thing was the particular ringtone of the cat. “Gastón, telephone. Answer Gastón, telephone”, could be heard, which generated laughter from all those present.

Gaudio, world number 8 at that time, was the current Roland Garros champion and won the fourth title of his career in Viña del Mar and the first after consecration in Paris. He had beaten Jiri Vanek in his debut, then beat Sánchez and beat Chucho Acasuso and David Ferrer before lifting the trophy after beating Fernando González in the final.

This Friday, at 2 p.m. in Argentina, they will open the day Sebastian Baez, the only Argentine left in the competition, and James Munar Seba had to work to beat Juan Pablo Varillas, while the Spaniard easily won the duel of compatriots against Albert Ramos Vinolas.

The winner of Báez-Munar will compete in the semis with the winner of Pedro Martínez, who eliminated Facundo Díaz Acosta, and Arthur Son. That match will be played on court 1 at 4:00 p.m.

Not before 6 p.m., in the court central, they will play TAbilo and Darderi and then they will go out onto the field Nicolas Jarry, the first seed and favorite of the public, and the French Corentin Moutet.

• Sebastian Baez (ARG) vs. Sebastian Baez (ARG) Let’s Love (ESP) – 14 hours.
• Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) vs. Luciano Darderi (ITA) – not before 18.
• Nicolás Jarry (CHI) vs. Corentin Moutet (FRA) – not before 7pm.

• Pedro Martínez (ESP) vs. Arthur Fils (FRA) – 16 hours.