Cerundolo Conjures His Miami Magic To Stun Auger-Aliassime

A surprise semi-finalist in 2022, Francisco Cerundolo is once again bringing his best to the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 25th-seeded Argentine powered to a 6-2, 7-5 third-round victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Florida. Cerundolo took control early with some blistering baseline play against the World No. 6 and dug deep in the face of a late Auger-Aliassime resurgence to wrap a one-hour, 44-minute win on Grandstand.

“I’m very happy to be back again in the round of 16 here, in a Masters 1000, here in Miami,” said Cerundolo after his 10th tour-level win of the year. “I’m super happy that I’m playing as well as last year, super happy with my level, and [hope] to keep going.”

The pair had last clashed just two weeks ago in the third round at Indian Wells, where Auger-Aliassime ran out a straight-sets winner. On Monday, Cerundolo expertly used the faster Miami conditions to engineer his revenge, constantly pressuring the fifth seed with a barrage of fizzing forehands.

Even after Auger-Aliassme reclaimed a break to level at 4-4 in the second set, the 24-year-old continued to strike the ball confidently. Cerundolo ended with 12 winners to Auger-Aliassime’s seven and converted four of six break points he earned for his third Top 10 career victory. The Argentine now holds an 8-1 record in Miami, and he will look to improve that further on Tuesday when he takes on 12th seed Frances Tiafoe or Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round.

“One key was that I read his serve better,” said Cerundolo, reflecting on how different Monday’s match had been to his losses against Auger-Aliassime at January’s Australian Open and in Indian Wells. “I think I played much better than the other two matches.

“I had more confidence today than the previous months, so probably that was another key. My level was super high today. I served well, only one game that I made two double-faults, and I only faced [one other] break point. So I’m super happy.”

As good as Cerundolo was, Auger-Aliassime will be disappointed with an error-strewn performance. The Canadian’s 19 unforced errors proved costly as he let slip the opportunity to play for a seventh straight Masters 1000 quarter-final.

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Another player enjoying a dream run in Miami this year is Quentin Halys. The Frenchman had not won a Masters 1000 main-draw match prior to this year’s tournament, but on Monday he downed Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach the fourth round at Hard Rock Stadium.

Halys’s serve was integral to his one-hour, 41-minute win in his maiden tour-level meeting with McDonald. The 26-year-old sent down 15 aces and won 81 per cent (38/47) of points behind his first delivery en route to victory, and he has now won four sets via a tie-break across his three matches in Florida.

Now 8-8 for the 2023 season, Halys next takes on Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday. The fourth-seeded Medvedev advanced to the fourth round without stepping on court in Miami after his opponent Alex Molcan withdrew (right hip).