MIAMI – For Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, Miami is the ATP Tour stop where he feels “most comfortable” outside his home country. The place where “everything started” and where he has many friends and fans supporting him.
It was in Miami where he secured his first big win at a major event and even reached the semi-finals. The point of no return in his career.
“It’s been four full years playing at this level. I’ve grown a lot, improved, matured and gained experience. Today I’m a different player, even though back then I had one of the best tournaments of my life,” admitted the world No. 19.
“That was my first big tournament. I had just made the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro, the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires and a final the year before. Around that time I started to settle at ATP level and to get my first wins against top-10 and top-15 players, especially on hard courts,” recalled South America’s top-ranked player.
Four years later, with a different understanding of the game and far greater knowledge of the circuit, the Argentine is putting together a solid campaign in Florida. He reached the round of 16 after winning a match of ups and downs against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5.
Cerúndolo won the first eight games of the match against Medvedev, who in 2026 has already claimed two titles (Brisbane and Dubai) and sits third in the ATP Race: “You don’t expect to be 8-0 up against a player who is top 10 in the world, who has just been champion and finalist in previous tournaments. Even if you’re playing well, it’s an irrational result — you don’t imagine it.”
The 2023 Miami Open champion managed to level the match, and Cerúndolo had to battle more than expected after holding such a wide lead: “You know that at some point it can come. He gains confidence, the match becomes tight. When you’re winning games very easily, with almost no opposition, suddenly you find yourself against a very solid player.”
“I wish I could beat a top-10 player 6-0 and 6-1 — everything would be very easy. But there would be no emotion, no suffering, no training. This is a very mental sport that can change in one game, in two points.”
At a tournament filled with good memories, Cerúndolo will now seek a place in the quarter-finals against France’s Ugo Humbert.
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