Sport
Francisco Cerundolo ends Alexander Zverev’s seven-match winning streak to Reach Madrid Open Quarter-Finals
Francisco Cerundolo extended his lead over Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, defeating the two-time Madrid Open champion 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open Masters 1000.
Cerundolo defeated Zverev in straight sets in a rematch of their fourth-round match last year. The Argentine saved his solitary break point and capitalised on crucial times, breaking Zverev at the conclusion of the first set and early in the second. Cerundolo delivered a clinical performance, having won 15 clay-court matches this season—the most on the ATP Tour—and leading the tour with seven quarter-final appearances in 2025.
With the win, Cerundolo improves to 3-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and ends Zverev’s seven-match winning streak, which stretched back to his title run in Munich.
“I’m super happy because I know he loves playing here. He told me last year when I beat him,” Cerundolo said following his first victory on Court Manolo Santana. “He’s an incredible player. I have a great relationship with him, so I’m super happy to get another win and to be in the quarter-finals again.”
Cerundolo’s consistent season has been highlighted by an ability to win even when not playing his best tennis. All five of his career Top 5 wins, including three over Zverev and two over Casper Ruud, have come on clay courts.
Zverev, who won the Madrid Open in 2018 and 2021, had a strong chance to capitalize this year with notable absences in the draw, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and an early loss for Novak Djokovic. However, Zverev struggled, managing just six winners against 23 unforced errors, and never found his rhythm against an opponent who has consistently troubled him.
Cerundolo has risen two places to No. 19 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, tying his career best, and may reach No. 18 with a win in the following round. He’ll face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, who overcame Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2 to advance to his third ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season. Mensik, who has a nine-match winning streak at the Masters 1000 level, is only the sixth youngster in history to reach the Madrid quarterfinals, following Carlos Alcaraz in 2022.
With Zverev’s departure, Taylor Fritz, presently ranked fourth in the world, is the highest-seeded player left in the men’s draw, setting up an exciting and unpredictable path to the Madrid title.
