Fran Cerúndolo shouts ‘present’ in Almaty | ATP Tour

Almaty

Cerúndolo shouts ‘present’ in Almaty

The Argentine is looking for his first hard court title this week

October 16, 2024

Francisco Cerúndolo is looking for a good end to the season and the indoor track represents a challenge of professional maturity. The Argentine debuted this Wednesday at the Almaty Open, defeating German #NextGenATP Justin Engel 6-4, 7-6(3) 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the quarterfinals at the indoor Kazakh.

The No. 31 of the PIF ATP Rankings prevailed in a match of close distances, where the youth of his rival was a constant obstacle until the outcome. The Argentine took advantage of his good reflexes to take control of the scoreboard, breaking Engel in the first game of both sets to almost always compete with the wind in his favor. The German’s fortitude, who forced a tiebreaker by subtracting to stay alive in the match, was a shooting tool for the South American.

Cerúndolo seeks to take flight in a season marked by great moments on clay. The Argentine, who returned in the second week at Roland Garros and won his third ATP Tour trophy in Umag, wants to regain inspiration with his powerful forehand on the indoor courts. With a balance of 29-28 this year, they are pursuing a positive path in the final stretch of the calendar.

At just 17 years old, Engel ends his participation in Almaty having written a historical page. The German this week became the first player born in 2007 or later years to record his first victory on the ATP Tour, leaving a nice mark of projection in the locker room.

In addition, the second seed Alejandro Tabilo marked the territory by beating German Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-4 with a performance full of confidence. The Chilean achieved victory without conceding a single break option, shooting his first serve up to 89% effective (24/27). In the next round he will face the Canadian Gabriel Diallo, winner 7-6(1), 6-4 over Borna Coric.

In one of the most anticipated debuts in the main draw, Tomas Machac got rid of local Timofey Skatov 6-3, 6-4 to extend his good form to the indoor court. The Czech, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Shanghai last week, will face Kazakh guest Beibit Zhukayev in the next round.

In a day full of activity in Almaty, Australian Aleksandar Vukic also advanced to the round of 16, defeating his compatriot James Duckworth 6-4, 7-5. He aussie He will be the rival in the next round of Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, current champion of the tournament.

Did you know that…?
The Almaty Open opens a new venue during the 2024 season, consolidated in the indoor calendar. The Kazakh event had been held since 2019 in the city of Astana, where figures such as John Millman, Soon-Woo Kwon, Novak Djokovic and Adrian Mannarino lifted the individual trophy.