Argentine tennis player Francisco Cerúndolo (27th ATP singles ranked) fell 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to world number one Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros round of 16. He was the last Albiceleste representative in the men’s singles draw.
Cerúndolo, coming off a solid win against U.S. player Tommy Paul in the third round, started the game poorly and could only win a single game in the first set.
However, when the second set started he took advantage when Djokovic slipped and hurt his right knee early in the second set. “I screwed up my knee. I’m slipping all the time. The only thing I ask of you is that you sweep the dips more often,” the visibly angry world number one told the tournament official after calling for medical time at 4-3.
With the Serbian struggling for mobility, the Argentine took the two following sets and looked to be in command, at one point 4-2 up in the fourth.
However, as the game progressed Djokovic was able to walk his injury off, using the public’s support as motivation, and broke Cerúndolo’s serve twice to wrap up the fourth set and force a fifth.
There, Cerúndolo — in only his second appearance in a Grand Slam fourth round — struggled to impose himself in the rallies. Despite recovering from an early break of serve, the Argentine had his serve broken again at 3-4. Djokovic was able to wrap up the game in confidence after four hours and 37 minutes of play.
This means there are no more Argentines in Roland Garros’ men’s singles draw, as Tomás Etcheverry (29) fell to Norwegian Casper Ruud (7) on Saturday. Horacio Zeballos, the doubles world number one, and his partner Spanish Marcel Granollers are into the quarter finals.
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