Francisco Cerundolo continued his dominance over Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, defeating the two-time Madrid Open champion 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the Madrid Open Masters 1000.
In a rematch of their fourth-round meeting from one year ago, Cerundolo once again toppled Zverev in straight sets. The Argentine saved the only break point he faced and capitalized on key moments, breaking Zverev at the end of the first set and early in the second. It was a clinical performance from Cerundolo, who registered 15 clay-court wins this season — the most on the ATP Tour — and leads 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 now climbs two places to No. 19 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, matching his career high, and could rise to No. 18 with a win in the next round. He will face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, who defeated Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2 to reach his third ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season. Mensik, who is on a nine-match winning streak at Masters 1000 level, is only the fifth teenager in history to reach the Madrid quarter-finals, following Carlos Alcaraz’s feat in 2022.
With Zverev’s departure, Taylor Fritz, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, stands as the highest-seeded player remaining in the men’s draw, setting up an intriguing and unpredictable path to the Madrid title.
