Miami
Cerundolo keeps Miami love affair alive with upset over in-form Medvedev
Argentine is into the fourth spherical for the fourth time in 5 appearances in Miami
March 23, 2026
ATP Tour
Francisco Cerundolo defeats Daniil Medvedev in three units on Monday in Miami.
By Jerome Coombe
Francisco Cerundolo’s affinity for the Miami Open presented by Itau reveals no signal of fading.
The 27-year-old Argentine produced a gritty 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 victory over in-form World No. 10 Daniil Medvedev on Monday to achieve the fourth spherical on the ATP Masters 1000 occasion for the fourth time in 5 appearances.
“I felt good in my first-round match here, and now I feel way better,” mentioned Cerundolo, the No. 19 participant within the PIF ATP Rankings, after his first Top-10 win of the season. “I’m recovering that confidence. The level was there, I was just trying to find it. But now, the Round of 16, so hopefully I can keep it up.”
Fran is feeling the love in Miami @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen | @FranCerundolo pic.twitter.com/YpIlRxtmMC
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 23, 2026
Medvedev arrived in Miami stuffed with confidence after ending World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz’s excellent 16-0 begin to the 2026 season within the Indian Wells semi-finals, reasserting himself among the many recreation’s elite. Yet Cerundolo persistently disrupted the previous World No. 1 with his trademark forehand aggression.
Cerundolo has lengthy thrived in South Florida, highlighted by his semi-final run on debut in 2022 earlier than he added quarter-final showings in 2023 and 2025. Now concentrating on one other last-eight look, he’ll subsequent face Ugo Humbert, whom he defeated of their solely earlier Lexus ATP Head2Headvert assembly on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Medvedev, in the meantime, was chasing a Tour-leading twentieth win of the season, having already claimed titles in Brisbane and Dubai. Instead, the 30-year-old exits Miami with a 19-5 file, in response to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Cerundolo dominated early, racing by the opening set and showing on the right track for a straight-sets win earlier than Medvedev rallied from 1-3 down within the second. The pair traded high-quality rallies within the Florida warmth, highlighted by an instinctive winner from Medvedev to finish a 22-ball change and ignited the gang.
The former World No. 1 saved 4 break factors in a pivotal 3-4 recreation. But Cerundolo finally had the ultimate say, unleashing his forehand with authority to shut out victory after two hours, 17 minutes.
“It was a great match, super tough,” Cerundolo mentioned. “It was my first match in opposition to Daniil. He’s most likely one of many solely guys on Tour who I’ve by no means performed. I didn’t know what to anticipate. He has had a terrific yr thus far, so I didn’t anticipate to be up 6-0 within the first set and a break up within the second.
“Suddenly he started playing super good. But I kept believing and stayed there in the match. In the third set, it was a really good set from both and it ended up my way.”
