Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo defeated Luciano Darderi for the second consecutive week on Thursday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. After ousting the Italian last week in Buenos Aires and eventually reaching the final, the Argentine will hope to go one step further in Brazil to claim his fourth tour-level title.
Cerundolo rallied past Darderi 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2 in a two-hour, nine-minute test, during which the 26-year-old won the final five games to seal his place in the ATP 500 quarter-finals.
“I’m super happy. I was a little pissed when I lost the first set because I didn’t have 100 per cent energy,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “Last week I played a lot. This week also, super humid here. But after that, I started playing better. Started moving better, I don’t know how. I played really well in the second and third set and I’m super happy to get through.”
Cerundolo committed an uncharacteristic 43 unforced errors, struggling to find range from his usual reliable forehand. But the No. 26 player in the PIF ATP Rankings dialled in and looked for opportunities to move forward. Finishing with 45 winners, Cerundolo converted 19 of his 27 net points.
“I tried to play more aggressive, not too many rallies so I don’t get tired,” said Cerundolo, who is 14-3 on clay since last July. “I went for the ball more than usual. Of course I am an aggressive player, but I think I overhit today a little bit.
“After the first set, I think I stayed more patient. I worked the point more, went more to the net. I think that was a big improvement after the first set.”
After improving to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Darderi, Cerundolo will next play Alexandre Muller. The Frenchman overcame eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-5, 7-6(5) in a hard-fought battle.
Muller, who spoiled Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca's homecoming in the first round, won a superb 23-ball rally on match point and following the exhausting exchange, last month's Hong Kong champion was gasping for air while embracing Etcheverry at net.
In the bottom half of the draw, lucky losers Jaime Faria and Camilo Ugo Carabelli advanced to their first tour-level quarter-finals. Their Friday clash will mark the second all-lucky loser quarter-final in ATP Tour history (since 1990). In 2021, Max Purcell and Andreas Seppi were the first to achieve this feat in Eastbourne.
Faria overcame Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 after winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 21-year-old from Portugal is up to No. 87 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, securing him a Top 100 debut Monday.
The Argentine Ugo Carabelli is also due for a new career high following his 6-4, 6-4 victory against Damir Dzumhur. Ugo Carabelli is No. 81 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
