Francisco Cerúndolo Upsets Casper Ruud to Advance in Masters 1000 Paris

Francisco Cerúndolo Continues to Impress at Paris Masters 1000

The Buenos Aires tennis sensation, Francisco Cerúndolo, has once again showcased his remarkable skills on the court. In a stunning upset, he defeated the number 8 player in the ATP ranking, Casper Ruud, securing his spot in the round of 16 at the prestigious Paris Masters 1000 tournament. Cerúndolo dominated the match with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Norwegian, setting up a thrilling encounter with the Polish star Hubert Hurckacz, currently ranked 11th in the world.

After the match, Ruud humorously remarked to Cerúndolo, “You sent me on vacation,” acknowledging his clear defeat in just one hour and thirty-two minutes. The Argentine player’s relentless determination and powerful shots left Ruud struggling to keep up.

Yesterday, Cerúndolo faced another formidable opponent, Gael Monfils, in a grueling match that took place on Monfils’ home turf. Despite losing the first set 7-5, Cerúndolo displayed incredible resilience and even had a match point opportunity in the second set when the score was 5-4 and 40-30 in favor of Monfils. Cerúndolo seized the moment, winning the set and ultimately triumphing with a 7-5 victory in the third set.

With his win against Ruud, Cerúndolo has significantly improved his record against Top 10 players, now boasting 7 wins out of nine encounters. Notably, his most notable victory prior to this was against none other than Ruud himself, the world number 3, during the round of 16 at the Barcelona Open on April 20.

The head-to-head matches between Cerúndolo and Ruud have consistently favored the Argentine, with a 3-2 record in his favor. In addition to their victories in Barcelona and Paris, Cerúndolo also emerged victorious against Ruud in Bastaad. However, Ruud managed to defeat Cerúndolo twice this year at the Miami Masters 1000 and the Rome Masters 1000.

In the round of 16 at the Parisian tournament, Cerúndolo will face the formidable Polish player Hubert Hurkacz, currently ranked 11th in the world. Hurkacz secured his spot in the next round by defeating the Spanish player Roberto Bautista Agut (66) with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Etcheverry’s Encounter with “a Djokovic” on the Path

Tomás Etcheverry, hailing from La Plata and currently ranked 31st in the world, faced off against the legendary Novak Djokovic in a thrilling match that lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes. Djokovic, who recently triumphed at the US Open, made a strong comeback to the circuit in Paris.

This year, the 24-year-old Argentine had previously lost to Djokovic in the second round of the Rome Masters 1000, which took place on a clay surface. Their encounter at the Paris Masters 1000 marked their second meeting on the court.

Etcheverry had a successful start in the tournament, defeating Serbian player Miomir Kecmanovic (53) in the opening round. Meanwhile, Djokovic, the record-holder for the most Grand Slam titles with 24 trophies, received a bye in the first phase.

The Paris Masters 1000 is renowned for its fast indoor surface at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy. With a prize pool of 6,748,815 euros, this prestigious tournament has only seen one Argentine champion in its history, the legendary David Nalbandian from Córdoba, who emerged victorious in the 2007 edition.