After two years without being held due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ATP 500 in Tokyo is back in action, and in the first round, there will be a match that will captivate all Argentine tennis fans: Francisco Cerúndolo (21st in the world ranking) and Diego Schwartzman (130th). This will be a clash between two players with contrasting realities.
Cerúndolo enters this match as the highest-ranked Argentine player in the ATP. In terms of results, Fran arrives after falling in the Shanghai Masters 1000 round of 16 against Sebastian Korda (26th) by 7-5 and 7-6 (6). Before that, he made his debut in the Laver Cup (won the only match he played against Davidovich Fokina) and was instrumental in Argentina's victory in the Davis Cup against Lithuania.
On the other hand, the eldest Cerúndolo brother has reached two finals in 2023, with a balance of one win and one loss: he won in Eastbourne (grass) against Tommy Paul and lost in Lyon to Arthur Fils.
On the opposite side, "El Peque," a former world number 8, has been struggling for some time to find the consistency that propelled him to the top ranks of the sport. However, despite his drop in the world rankings and his inconsistent results, he arrives in Japan playing some of his best tennis in a long time.
In Shanghai, Diego also reached the round of 16, just like his upcoming opponent, and managed to win three consecutive matches for the first time since June 2022. Among his victories, he defeated Taylor Fritz (8th) and eventually lost to Nicolás Jarry (22nd) in the deciding set. Now, he will seek to capitalize on his superior head-to-head record against Cerúndolo (3-0 in favor of Schwartzman).
Previous meetings:
- ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro 2022: Schwartzman 7-6 (4) and 6-3
- ATP 250 Buenos Aires 2022: Schwartzman 3-6, 6-2 and 7-5
- ATP 250 Buenos Aires 2021: Schwartzman 6-1 and 6-2
In this tournament, another Argentine player, Tomás Etcheverry (31st), will also be present. It is worth mentioning that the last Argentine champion in this event was Juan Martín Del Potro in 2013 when he defeated Milos Raonic.
The match between Cerúndolo and Schwartzman will take place on Monday, October 16, starting at 22:00 (Argentine time). It can be watched live on Star+.