Ernesto Escobedo
{{Short description|Mexican tennis player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
|name = Ernesto Escobedo
|image = Escobedo RGQ22 (29) (52130108675).jpg
|caption = Escobedo at the 2022 French Open
|country = {{USA}} (2014–2022) {{MEX}} (2023–present)
|residence = West Covina, California, USA
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|7|4}}
|birth_place = Los Angeles, California, USA
|height = {{height|m=1.85}}
|turnedpro = 2014
|retired = Mar 2025
|coach =
|plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
|careerprizemoney = US $1,586,166
|singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=21|lost=42}}
|singlestitles = 0
|highestsinglesranking = No. 67 (17 July 2017)
|currentsinglesranking =
|AustralianOpenresult = 2R (2017)
|FrenchOpenresult = 1R (2017)
|Wimbledonresult = 1R (2017)
|USOpenresult = 2R (2016, 2020, 2021)
|doublesrecord = {{tennis record|won=1|lost=5}}
|doublestitles = 0
|highestdoublesranking = No. 296 (16 May 2022)
|currentdoublesranking =
|AustralianOpenDoublesresult=
|FrenchOpenDoublesresult = 2R (2017)
|WimbledonDoublesresult =
|USOpenDoublesresult = 1R (2020)
|updated = 30 March 2025
}}
Ernesto "Neto" Escobedo III ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɛ|t|oʊ|_|ˌ|ɛ|s|k|ə|ˈ|b|eɪ|d|oʊ}} {{respell|NET|oh|_|ES|kə|BAYD|oh}};{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8knCygUuCXQ&t=7s|title=Escobedo Looks Back On First Grand Slam Win At US Open 2016|last=ATPWorldTour|work=YouTube.com|date=30 August 2016|access-date=2017-12-31}} {{IPA|es|eɾˈnesto ˈneto eskoˈβeðo|lang}},{{cite web|title=The pronunciation by Ernesto Escobedo himself|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/-/media/player-names/ernesto-escobedo.mp3|publisher=ATP World Tour|access-date=22 October 2017}} born 4 July 1996) is a Mexican-American former professional tennis player who has a career high singles ranking of No. 67 achieved on 17 July 2017 and a doubles ranking of No. 296 achieved on 16 May 2022.
Personal life
Escobedo began playing tennis at the age of 4. His father Ernesto Jr. briefly played professional tennis, and his aunt Xóchitl Escobedo was a Top 300 player who competed in the 1988 Olympics.{{cite news|title=Ernesto Escobedo grinds out win in Citi Open qualifier|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/tennis/ernesto-escobedo-grinds-out-win-in-citi-open-qualifier/2016/07/17/1cda94e0-4b65-11e6-90a8-fb84201e0645_story.html|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=31 July 2016}} He is of Mexican descent.{{cite web|title=Mexican-American Ernesto Escobedo into Semifinals|url=http://monterreyopen.com/2015/articulos/65/|website=Monterrey Open|access-date=31 July 2016}} Escobedo's cousin Emilio Nava is also a professional tennis player.{{cite news|title=At Australian Open, a Legacy Tracing Back to a Backyard in Mexico|work=The New York Times |date=26 January 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/26/sports/australian-open-boys-singles-emilio-nava.html|access-date=16 July 2021|last1=Rothenberg |first1=Ben }}
Career
=2016: Major debut & first win at the US Open, multiple Challenger titles, Top 200=
Escobedo reached his first ATP Challenger final at São Paulo in April 2016 to advance him to a career-high ranking inside the top 300. With that success, he became the seventh American teenager to reach a Challenger final in the previous seven months.{{cite web|title=Escobedo Becomes Newest Teen To Excel In Challengers|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/escobedo-reaches-first-challenger-final-in-sao-paulo|website=ATP World Tour|access-date=19 May 2016}}
He won his first career ATP match at the Aegon Open in Nottingham against top 100 player Diego Schwartzman shortly before turning 20 years old. The next month, he won his first Challenger title at Lexington over fellow up-and-coming American Frances Tiafoe. With this victory, he also won the 2016 US Open Wild Card Challenge to earn a wildcard into the main draw of the final Grand Slam of the year.{{cite web|title=ESCOBEDO WINS WILD CARD,EARNS BERTH IN US OPEN|url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/escobedo-wins-men-s-wild-card-challenge--to-make-us-open-debut.html|website=usta.com|access-date=16 July 2021}} Escobedo put this wildcard to good use by defeating Lukáš Lacko in the first round to crack the Top 200 for the first time and record his first career Grand Slam match win.{{cite web|title=FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT US OPEN WILDCARD ESCOBEDO|url=https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/five-things-to-know-about-us-open-wildcard-escobedo|website=tennis.com|access-date=16 July 2021}}
Towards the end of the season, Escobedo returned to Monterrey where he had made the semifinals the previous year, and defended his points by winning the title over Denis Kudla.
=2017: Australian second round, Masters & Top 100 debuts=
File:Ernesto Escobedo at Roland Garros 2017.jpg]]
To start the year, Escobedo continued to improve upon his success from 2016. He qualified for the Australian Open and then won his first round match against fellow NextGen player Daniil Medvedev.
The following month, he was awarded a wildcard into the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, an ATP 500 event in Acapulco. At this tournament, he again won first round match over fellow American Stefan Kozlov.
In March, Escobedo was able to qualify for his first Masters event at the 2017 Miami Open, where he upset No. 43 Dan Evans to break through into the top 100 of the ATP rankings.{{cite web|title=Dan Evans lost control after losing to Ernesto Escobedo in the Miami Open first round|url=https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/10811330/dan-evans-lost-control-after-losing-to-ernesto-escobedo-in-the-miami-open-first-round|website=skysports.com|access-date=16 July 2021}} To start the clay court season, Escobedo played at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston and reached his first career ATP quarterfinal and semifinal, climbing to a then career-high ranking of No. 73 with this success. His tournament was highlighted by a quarterfinal win over No. 2 seed and fellow American John Isner.{{cite web|title=#NextGenATP Escobedo Breaks Through In Houston|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/escobedo-isner-houston-2017-friday|website=ATP World Tour|access-date=16 July 2021}}
Escobedo was part of the NextGen players that included many fellow Americans such as Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz who were considered the best young prospects to become the next generation of tennis stars.{{cite web|title=RACE TO MILAN: ERNESTO ESCOBEDO|url=https://www.winstonsalemopen.com/news/race_to_milan_ernesto_escobedo/|website=winstonsalemopen.com|access-date=16 July 2021}}
=2018: First top 10 and Masters wins=
In February, Escobedo was able to qualify for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco. He defeated top-ranked American Jack Sock in the first round for his first Top 10 win, continuing his success at tournaments in Mexico.{{cite web|title=Jack Sock: Acapulco loss, early 2018 struggles continue|url=https://lobandsmash.com/2018/02/28/jack-sock-acapulco-loss-2018-struggles/|website=lobandsmash.com|date=28 February 2018 |access-date=16 July 2021}} In March, Escobedo was given a wildcard for the first time to the main draw of the 2018 Indian Wells Masters where he defeated compatriot Frances Tiafoe, before falling to the 28th seed Feliciano López.{{cite web|title=Escobedo Relishing Indian Wells Moment|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/escobedo-feature-indian-wells-2018-friday|website=ATP World Tour|access-date=16 July 2021}}
=2020–2021: Return to US Open second round in 4 years and Masters in 3 years=
After the suspension of the 2020 season due to COVID, Escobedo returned to the 2020 US Open as an alternate, replacing Benoit Paire, who tested COVID positive, where he defeated Kamil Majchrzak in the first round.
In March 2021, Escobedo qualified for the 2021 Miami Open and defeated Paolo Lorenzi in the first round before losing to 16th seed Dušan Lajović.
=2022: Fourth Challenger title=
Escobedo won the title at the 2022 Bendigo International Challenger in Australia, his first in three years.{{cite web|title=Dominant Down Under: Escobedo, Machac Claim First Challenger Titles Of 2022|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/escobedo-machac-2022-bendigo-traralgon-challenger|website=ATP World Tour|access-date=11 January 2022}}
He entered the 2022 Australian Open as a lucky loser.
=2023-2024: Representing Mexico as No. 1 player=
In January 2023, Escobedo stopped representing the United States in favor of representing Mexico in tournaments and became the Mexican No. 1 player. He qualified for the 2023 Australian Open.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com.mx/tenis/nota/_/id/11465718/el-nuevo-mexicano-ernesto-escobedo-consigue-un-sitio-en-el-abierto-de-australia|title=El 'nuevo' mexicano Ernesto Escobedo consigue un sitio en el Abierto de Australia|date=January 11, 2023|publisher=ESPN|language=es|access-date=January 12, 2023}}
{{cite web | url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-piros-australian-open-qualifying-2023-thursday | title=Shang Juncheng: 17-Year-Old Charges into Australian Open Main Draw | ATP Tour | Tennis }}{{cite web | url=https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/14/mens-qualifiers-2023-australian-open/ | title=What to Expect from the Men's Qualifiers at the 2023 Australian Open | date=14 January 2023 }}
He received a wildcard for the qualifying draw of the 2023 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco but lost to Brandon Holt.
He received wildcards for the main draw of the 2024 Los Cabos Open and for the 2024 Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
=2025: Retirement=
Escobedo played a challenger and two ITF events in 2025.{{cite web | url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/ernesto-escobedo/e873/player-activity?matchType=Singles&year=2025&tournament=all | title=Ernesto Escobedo Player Activity }}
On March 27, 2025, he announced his retirement on Instagram. {{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DHtTcP_g4lR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== | title=Instagram }}
ATP Challenger Tour finals
=Singles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)=
| valign=top
| {|class=wikitable style=font-size:97% !Legend |
| style="background:moccasin;"
|ATP Challenger Tour (4–2) |
|
| class=wikitable style=font-size:97%
!Finals by surface |
| Hard (4–1) |
| Clay (0–1) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
|}
| class="sortable wikitable"
!Result !class="unsortable"|W–L !{{ns}}Date{{ns}} !Tournament !Tier !Surface !Opponent !class="unsortable"|Score |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–1 |2016 São Paulo Challenger de Tênis – Singles |style="background:moccasin;"|São Paulo, Brazil |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Clay |{{flagicon|CHI}} Gonzalo Lama |2–6, 2–6 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|1–1 |2016 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships – Men's singles |style="background:moccasin;"|Lexington, USA |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Frances Tiafoe |6–2, 6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–3) |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|1–2 |2016 Cary Challenger – Singles |style="background:moccasin;"|Cary, USA |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|IRL}} James McGee |6–1, 1–6, 4–6 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|2–2 |2016 Monterrey Challenger – Singles |style="background:moccasin;"|Monterrey, Mexico |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Denis Kudla |6–4, 6–4 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|3–2 |2019 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Men's singles |style="background:moccasin;"|Granby, Canada |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|JPN}} Yasutaka Uchiyama |7–6(7–5), 6–4 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|4–2 |2022 Bendigo International – Men's singles |style="background:moccasin;"|Bendigo, Australia |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|FRA}} Enzo Couacaud |5–7, 6–3, 7–5 |
=Doubles: 1 (1 title)=
| valign=top
| {|class=wikitable style=font-size:97% !Legend |
| style="background:moccasin;"
|ATP Challenger Tour (1–0) |
|
|}
| class="wikitable"
!Result !class=unsortable|W–L !{{ns}}Date{{ns}} !Tournament !Tier !Surface !Partner !Opponents !class=unsortable|Score |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|1–0 |2021 Little Rock Challenger – Doubles |style="background:moccasin;"|Little Rock, USA |style="background:moccasin;"|Challenger |Hard |{{flagicon|COL}} Nicolás Barrientos |{{flagicon|USA}} Christopher Eubanks |4–6, 6–3, [10–5] |
ITF Futures/World Tennis Tour finals
=Singles: 7 (2 titles, 5 runner-ups)=
| valign=top
| {|class=wikitable style=font-size:97% !Legend |
| style="background:#cffcff;"
|ITF Futures/WTT (2–5) |
|
| class=wikitable style=font-size:97%
!Finals by surface |
| Hard (2–5) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
|}
| class="sortable wikitable"
!Result !class="unsortable"|W–L !{{ns}}Date{{ns}} !Tournament !Tier !Surface !Opponent !class="unsortable"|Score |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–1 |{{dts|Sep 2013}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|USA F24, Costa Mesa |style="background:#cffcff;"|Futures |Hard |{{flagicon|TUN}} Haythem Abid |1–6, 6–4, 5–7 |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–2 |{{dts|Nov 2013}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|Mexico F19, Mérida |style="background:#cffcff;"|Futures |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Nicolas Meister |7–6(7–4), 1–6, 6–7(7–9) |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–3 |{{dts|May 2015}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|Mexico F4, Córdoba |style="background:#cffcff;"|Futures |Hard |{{flagicon|BAR}} Darian King |5–7, 7–5, 4–6 |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–4 |{{dts|Jun 2015}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|USA F16B, Charlottesville |style="background:#cffcff;"|Futures |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Tennys Sandgren |4–6, 4–6 |
| bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss
|0–5 |{{dts|Sep 2015}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|USA F27, Costa Mesa |style="background:#cffcff;"|Futures |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Shane |4–6, 3–6 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|1–5 |{{dts|May 2023}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|M25 Xalapa, Mexico |style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT |Hard |{{flagicon|USA}} Aidan Mayo |6–3, 6–4 |
| bgcolor=98FB98|Win
|2–5 |{{dts|May 2024}} |style="background:#cffcff;"|M15 Villahermosa, Mexico |style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT |Hard |{{flagicon|MEX}} Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez |6–3, 7–5 |
Singles performance timeline
{{Performance key|short=yes}}
Current through the 2024 Los Cabos Open.
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:97% | ||||||||||||||
| |colspan=9|{{USA}}
|colspan=2|{{flagicon|MEX}} | colspan="3" | | ||||||||||||||
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | {{Tooltip|SR|Strike rate}} | {{Tooltip|W–L|Win–loss}} | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| colspan="15" align="left" |Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Australian Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |Q3 |Q1 |Q2 |Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | |0 / 3 |1–3 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=3|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|French Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |Q1 |A |A |Q2 |Q2 |A | |0 / 1 |0–1 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Wimbledon
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |A |A |style=color:#767676|NH |Q1 |Q1 |A | |0 / 1 |0–1 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|US Open
|Q3 |A |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |Q2 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |Q1 |A | |0 / 5 |3–5 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=3|lost=5|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss |0–0 |0–0 |1–1 |1–4 |0–0 |0–1 |1–1 |1–1 |0–1 |0–1 | |0 / 10 |4–10 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=4|lost=10|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| colspan="15" align="left" |ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Indian Wells Masters
|A |A |Q1 |Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |A |style=color:#767676|NH |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |A |A | |0 / 2 |2–2 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=2|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Miami Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |Q2 |A |style=color:#767676|NH |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |A |A | |0 / 2 |2–2 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=2|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Madrid Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |A |A |style=color:#767676|NH |A |A |A | |0 / 1 |0–1 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Italian Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |A |A |A |A |A |A | |0 / 1 |0–1 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Canadian Open
|A |A |A |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |A |A |style=color:#767676|NH |A |A |A | |0 / 1 |1–1 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=1|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Cincinnati Masters
|A |A |A |Q1 |A |A |A |A |A |A | |0 / 0 |0–0 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss |0–0 |0–0 |0–0 |2–4 |1–1 |0–0 |0–0 |2–2 |0–0 |0–0 | |0 / 7 |5–7 |{{Tennis win percentage|won=5|lost=7|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| colspan="15" style="text-align:left" |Career statistics | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=efefef
|align=left|Tournaments |0 |0 |4 |15 |8 |1 |1 |4 |2 |2 |2 | colspan="3" |Career total: 39 | ||||||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Overall win–loss |0–0 |0–0 |2–4 |9–15 |3–8 |0–1 |1–1 |5–4 |0–2 |0–2 | 0–4 |0 / 39 |20–41 |{{tennis win percentage|won=20|lost=41|integer=yes}} | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=efefef
|align=left|Year-end ranking |538 |393 |141 |120 |187 |224 |198 |165 |226 |405 |460 | colspan="3" | $1,586,166 |
Wins over top 10 players
- He has a {{tennis record|won=1|lost=0}} record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.{{cite web|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/ernesto-escobedo/e873/atp-win-loss?tourType=Tour|title=Ernesto Escobedo – ATP Win/Loss|website=ATP Tour}}
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#ffc;"
!Season !2018 !Total |
| align=center
|Wins |1 |1 |
| class="wikitable sortable"
!# !Player !Rank !Event !Surface !Rd !Score !{{Abbr|EER|Ernesto Escobedo Ranking}} |
| colspan="8" style="text-align:center" |2018 |
| 1.
|{{flagicon|USA}} Jack Sock |style=text-align:center bgcolor=EEE8AA|10 |bgcolor=d4f1c5|Mexican Open, Mexico |bgcolor=ccccff|Hard |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |7–5, 7–6(7–3) |style=text-align:center|123 |
References
{{reflist|40em}}
External links
- {{ATP}}
- {{ITF}}
{{Top male singles tennis players by country|MEX}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escobedo, Ernesto}}
Category:American male tennis players
Category:Mexican male tennis players
Category:Tennis players from Los Angeles
Category:Tennis players at the 2023 Pan American Games
Category:Sportspeople from West Covina, California
Category:American sportspeople of Mexican descent