“It is the victory of my life”. This is how Francisco Cerúndolo summed up one of the most resounding victories of his professional career, minutes following defeating Gaël Monfils by a resounding 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the round of 16 of the Miami Masters 1000.
The impact is great, not only because of the French tennis player’s present (current number 24 in the world ranking), but also because of his past (he became number 6 in the world).
Compact of Francisco Cerúndolo vs. Gaël Monfils
The picture of the Masters 1000 in Miami, which seemed to wink at Francisco because his brother Juan Manuel might cross his path, is still particular for the porteño. Although Juanma was eliminated, Francisco can now take revenge for him: in the round of 16 he will face the executioner of his brother, the American Frances Tiafoe.
the last point
“It is the triumph of my life. He ran me right like never before. I attacked well. The reverse worked very well for me too.”, highlighted Francisco Cerúndolo with great satisfaction before the ESPN cameras. Later, he added: “It was tough: I came from a bad Indian Wells and from playing badly in a Challenger but here I felt very good from the beginning. Already on the South American tour I had been close to beating Schwartzman and that gave me a lot of confidence. Now I will rest a bit, tomorrow I will train and then I will plan the match once morest Tiafoe”.
There was a crucial moment in the match when the Argentine was 0-1 and 0-40 and managed to recover in time to settle into the game and complete a seamless task, which was evidenced in the result.
One of the best points of the match
Not always a defeat causes grief. It’s true: Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (122nd) lost this Sunday to the American Frances Tiafoe (31st) 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of the Miami Masters 1000, thus shattering the possibility of a duel of brothers in the round of 16.
But anyway, it was an unforgettable experience for him, since in the Florida peninsula his first two wins in tournaments of this category once morest Dusan Lajovic (46th) and Kevin Anderson (91st).
This Sunday, Tiafoe’s aggressive stance was too much, to the point that he did not give the Buenos Aires player a chance to break. At the same time, he won 86 percent of the points won on second serve and was very assertive on the return.
The statistics are eloquent: the American was a clear winner. And now he is waiting for Francisco Cerúndolo (103rd), Juan Manuel’s older brother. This meeting will begin around 20 in Argentina.
For the youngest of the Cerúndolo, 20 years old, the good experience in the Miami Masters 1000 allows him climb to 116th position in the ranking and be very close to getting back into the Top 100, where he used to be in October 2021. His next steps will be in Spain, where he will play the Murcia Challenger from April 4, where he is the second seeded.
Compact of Juan Manuel Cerúndolo vs. Tiafoe
Kyrgios and Norrie to eighth
In other matches of the day, the Australian Nick Kyrgios achieved one of the first passports to the round of 16 by defeating the Italian Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4.
The controversial Kyrgios, who once once more exhibited his spectacular moment of form, will face the Spaniard Pablo Carreño or the young Italian Jannik Sinner in the next round.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie also advanced to the round of 16 by beating France’s Hugo Gaston 6-3, 7-5.
Later, the German Alexander Zverev, number four in the world, will close the program facing the American Mackenzie McDonald (54th).
Men – Third Wheel
Women – Third Wheel
