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Former world No. 17 Cristian Garin admitted he pleasantly surprised himself by reaching the Houston semifinal. On Friday, Garin edged out Indian Wells Masters champion Taylor Fritz 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 in the Houston quarterfinal.
Garin didn't make a good start to the season and he found himself in a dark spot in late February. After picking up his fourth consecutive defeat in Santiago in late February, Garin took a break from tennis. Garin returned to action in late March, where he picked up his fifth consecutive defeat after losing to Pedro Martinez in the first round.
Garin didn't expect much from himself in Houston but he ended up having a deep run. "I gave it my all, it's an important victory for me. This is the second tournament I play after a month I took to work on my fitness and my tennis.
I did not expect these results. I just came to try to play a few matches and now I'm in the semi-finals," Garin said after reaching the semifinal in Houston, per We Love Tennis.
Garin took a break after Santiago
After easily losing to Alejandro Tabilo in his Santiago opener, Garin opened up about his struggles.
“Right now it's horrible for me to play tennis. I've tried so hard and it doesn't work. This Friday, I will make a decision about my future. I'll see what I'm going to do, because it's not worth continuing to play like this.
I give 100% and try hard. Even though people think I don't, I love tennis and I love it. Sometimes there are bad times and you have to keep going. The only thing I want is to play without worrying about the shoulder, I go through a lot of ups and downs. I still feel a little pain," Garin said in late February.