Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo continued his remarkable run at the Australian Open on Tuesday, securing a dominant straight-sets victory and advancing to the third round. The 21-year-old’s performance marks his second time reaching this stage in Melbourne, as he aims for a career-best showing at the major championship. Cerúndolo will next face a familiar opponent in Andrey Rublev, setting the stage for a compelling matchup between two of the tour’s rising stars.
Francisco Cerúndolo advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with a dominant straight-sets victory on Tuesday, continuing his strong start to the Grand Slam season. The 21-year-old Argentine dispatched Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in just one hour and 37 minutes, securing his place among the final 32 players in the tournament.
Cerúndolo steadily built his advantage on the ANZ Arena court, finishing with 10 aces and winning 79% of his first serve points. He also registered 31 winners compared to Dzumhur’s 11, highlighting the significant difference in offensive firepower. While Dzumhur managed to secure a single break in the opening game, Cerúndolo responded emphatically, breaking his opponent’s serve seven times out of twelve opportunities.
“Estoy contento, me sentí muy cómodo, salvo el quiebre del comienzo, estuve muy bien, lo fui rompiendo de a poco. Era un partido difícil y lo pude sacar con mucha autoridad. Ahora no quiero tocar nada, quiero irme a descansar con estas buenas sensaciones, ja,” Cerúndolo said after closing out the match with a decisive backhand winner on his first match point.
This marks Cerúndolo’s second appearance in the third round of the Australian Open, having previously reached this stage in 2023 and 2024. He’s enjoyed even greater success at Roland Garros, reaching the round of 16 in both 2023 and 2024. His next opponent will be Russia’s Andrey Rublev, who defeated Portugal’s Jaime Faria 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Interestingly, Cerúndolo holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over Rublev, including a recent victory at the Paris Masters in 2024.
Cerúndolo is aiming to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open for the first time. He is also competing in the doubles tournament alongside his younger brother, Juan Manuel, marking their first partnership at the major league level after previous appearances in Challenger and Futures events.
The win in Melbourne is already impacting Cerúndolo’s ranking, moving him up to 19th in the world – close to his career-high of 18th, achieved in May of last year. To surpass that mark, he will need to advance to the second week of the tournament. Diego Schwartzman was the last Argentine to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open, achieving the feat in 2020.
El resumen del triunfo de Cerúndolo
Cerúndolo’s victory was the first for Argentina on a busy day of competition, though it wasn’t without a setback for the nation. Thiago Tirante fell to American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the 1573 Arena after just over two hours of play. While the match began competitively, Paul, ranked 20th in the world, ultimately took control with his superior play and consistency.
Despite the loss, the tournament experience will be valuable for Tirante, who will now join the Argentine team for their Davis Cup Qualifiers against South Korea in Busan on February 7th and 8th.
In other late-night action, Tomás Martín Etcheverry (62nd) was set to face Britain’s Arthur Fery (186th), a qualifier, while Francisco Comesaña (68th) will take on American Frances Tiafoe (34th).
