He Miami Openone of the most emblematic combined events on the tennis circuit, advances, leaving behind a handful of rainy days that caused various difficulties in the programming. Francisco Cerúndolo (21st in the world ranking) bursts onto the hard surface of the Miami Gardens complex, north of the city, with the confidence of someone who stomped right there. The Buenos Aires native, a semifinalist at the Miami Masters 1000 in 2022 and a quarterfinalist last year, overcame a “very tough battle,” as he himself described, to win and qualify for the third round.
As the twentieth seed, the eldest of the Cerúndolo brothers came out ahead and last night, in his debut in the second round, he defeated Sebastian Ofner (Austria; 40th in the ranking) by 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (2 -7) and 6-1, in two hours and fifteen minutes. “It was a very tough battle. He serves too well, I didn’t read his serve, all the hits came very strong and very close to the ground, so it became difficult to play, I had to endure a lot, bank whatever he threw at me and concentrate a lot on my service games. I think I did it and one of the keys was how I dealt with it mentally,” said Cerúndolo, on ESPN, before leaving court number 6, in which he had noisy support from Argentines.
“In the first two sets, his games were very easy for me, he scored one or two aces per game, many winners and it was difficult for me. So I focused on my games and asked my bank for help to tell me what to do, whether to stand further forward or further back, or what to do on the return. There was an incredible fan base, there are many Argentines here, I like to play here, I always did well and part of my victory is because of them, who make me feel comfortable,” added Fran Cerúndolo, who in Miami has the presence of the coach Franco Davin, whom he added to his team at the end of last year (coach Kevin Konfederak is also still a member of the group). Davín, the only Argentine two-time winner of Grand Slams as a coach (with Gastón Gaudio at Roland Garros 2004 and Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 US Open), has been based in Miami since 2015.
What will be Cerúndolo’s next challenge? This Monday, against the Russian Karen Khachanov (16th; 27 years old), who comes from beating the Serbian Laslo Djere (35th) by 6-2 and 6-4. The Muscovite defeated Cerúndolo twice in the same number of matches. The last time was, precisely, at the Miami Open, last year, in the quarterfinals, 6-3 and 6-2. “It’s always nice to have revenge against rivals who have beaten you. He is a very tough rival, of great caliber, who was top ten, now he is top 20, who is always the protagonist in big tournaments. I’m going to have to play a great game to beat him,” said Cerúndolo, the only Argentine standing in the Miami team (Sebastián Báez, Tomás Etcheverry, Diego Schwartzman, Facundo Díaz Acosta and Pedro Cachin fell in their debuts).
After an opaque start to the season, with six defeats and only two victories until the ATP in Buenos Aires, in the second week of February, Cerúndolo began to feel better starting at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro (he reached the semifinals). In Indian Wells he defeated Alexander Shevchenko and fell to Ben Shelton in the third round, in a tight challenge of almost three hours: 7-6 (7-5), 3-6 and 7-6 (7-5). “Since Rio I have cultivated my confidence again,” he said in atptour.com-. In Indian Wells I showed it. If I play that tennis I can beat anyone and in any tournament. Hopefully I can continue with the clean and jerk.”
Cerúndolo’s victory in Miami
The Alcaraz recital
“Watching Alcaraz play makes me smile.” The compliment from the British Andy Murray, three-time Grand Slam champion, former world number 1 and currently ranked 62nd, published on his social networks, illustrates what generates Carlitos Alcaraz. The 20-year-old Spaniard, world number 2, constantly provides a spectacle. After winning the Indian Wells title a week ago, he debuted at the Miami Masters 1000 doing so in a resounding way, in the second round: he defeated his compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena (64th) 6-2 and 6-1, in one hour and 25 minutes.
“I had to be patient, adapt to the humid conditions. The ball goes differently in relation to Indian Wells and I had to see how it went. “I am very happy with my performance and with how I hit the ball,” said Alcaraz, who took advantage of five of the nine break chances he generated.
Alcaraz, trained by Juan Carlos Mosquito Ferrero won 60 points in the match, but there was one particularly spectacular one, one of those that astonishes the public and sparks applause. It was in the second set: the Spaniard served 2-1 and 30-15, there was a long rally of 23 shots that was unraveled with a lob from Murcia and a volley touch, with Carballes Baena resigned.
Carlitos’s kick
The former world number 1 and current Wimbledon champion seeks to become the eighth player with titles in Indian Wells and Miami in the same season, since the creation of the Masters 1000, in 1990. He would join Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014-16 ), Roger Federer (2005-06, 2017), Andre Agassi (2001), Marcelo Ríos (1998), Pete Sampras (1994), Michael Chang (1992) and Jim Courier (1991).
Five more victories separate him from achieving it. Alcaraz’s next obstacle will be the Frenchman Gael Monfils (47th), who defeated the Australian Jordan Thompson, seeded No. 33, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 and 6-2. The Spaniard leads the history between the two 1-0.