World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was avenged by his Italian compatriot Matteo Berrettini after the latter knocked Juan Manuel Cerundolo out of the French Open. Playing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Berrettini finished the job in two hours and 32 minutes, winning in straight sets to end the impressive run of the Argentine.
On Monday, Berrettini reached the French Open quarter-finals for the second time by beating Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6), matching his best result at Roland Garros. The victory marked a remarkable resurgence for Berrettini, who had missed the previous four editions of Roland Garros because of a string of injuries.
Arriving in Paris ranked World No. 105, the Italian has put together one of the stories of the tournament, becoming the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist at Roland Garros since 2007.
Berrettini’s run has been built on resilience. In the third round, he saved two match points against Francisco Comesana to keep his campaign alive. Against Cerundolo, he once again displayed his fighting qualities, saving three set points in the third set before prevailing on his first match point to seal the victory.
The Italian’s win also carried an element of revenge. Cerundolo had been one of the biggest stories of the tournament after stunning World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the second round. The Argentine rallied from two sets down to eliminate the top seed in one of the shocks of the fortnight, earning widespread praise for his fearless shot-making and endurance.
Cerundolo’s breakthrough run, however, appeared to catch up with him in the fourth round. The Argentine had spent more than 12 hours on court before facing Berrettini, including a gruelling five-set victory over Martin Landaluce that lasted five hours and 58 minutes, the third-longest match in Roland Garros history. Having reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, Cerundolo struggled to match Berrettini’s consistency in the crucial moments.
While the Argentine fought hard in the second and third sets, Berrettini remained composed in both tie-breaks, using his powerful serve and forehand to close out the contest in straight sets.
The former Wimbledon finalist will now look to continue his remarkable comeback story when he takes on either American Frances Tiafoe or fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi for a place in the semi-finals.
AUGER-ALIASSIME MAKES CANADIAN HISTORY
Elsewhere, Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his impressive run at Roland Garros, beating Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals. The victory made Auger-Aliassime the first Canadian man to reach the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The World No. 6 cruised through the opening set before Tabilo raised his level in the second. However, Auger-Aliassime seized the decisive break in the 11th game and comfortably served out the set to move within touching distance of victory.
The fourth seed then dominated the third set to seal the match in style, looking fresh despite having already endured a five-set opener and two four-set contests earlier in the tournament.
Auger-Aliassime will next face Flavio Cobolli, who advanced after defeating American Zachary Svajda.
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