Red-Hot Cerundolo Upsets Rublev, Extends Winning Run In Hamburg

Francisco Cerundolo extended his winning streak to seven matches on Thursday, when he upset World No. 8 Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-2 at the Hamburg European Open to earn his second Top 10 win in as many weeks.

The Argentine captured his maiden tour-level title in Bastad last week and has backed that up in Hamburg. In a high-quality second-round match, Cerundolo rallied from 2-4 in the first set and fired 26 winners as he blasted the second seed off the court in one hour and 33 minutes.

“I think I played another great match. I felt really comfortable on the court,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “I think in the first three games I didn’t play that bad, but he was really solid and didn’t miss many balls. Then I started feeling more confident and I think I was very solid today.”

The 23-year-old, who defeated World No. 5 Casper Ruud in Sweden last week, will next face Aslan Karatsev in the quarter-finals after the 28-year-old eliminated Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“It is really good to have this confidence at this level,” Cerundolo added. “It is the first time it has happened for me. I am playing against the top guys and I am playing well and it is unbelievable. I really happy with my game and my head, because I am keeping my concentration and playing the whole match well.”

Cerundolo, up to No. 27 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, has earned a career-best 19 tour-level wins this year, with 13 coming on clay. He reached the last four in Rio de Janeiro in February, before he advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami.

Rublev has captured three tour-level crowns this season and lifted the trophy on his last appearance in Hamburg in 2020. However, he was unable to cope with Cerundolo’s heavy hitting in northern Germany.