Alexander Zverev (Ger) b. Francisco Cerundolo (Arg) 64 76(3)
After two defeats suffered in 2025, both on clay in Buenos Aires and Madrid, Alexander Zverev takes his revenge in Bologna by collecting his first full victory – 64 76 (3) – (the other in the middle of the summer in Toronto had come due to a withdrawal) against Francisco Cerundolo, bringing his Germany back to a draw in the tie against Argentina.
“It was very important to stay in the race, and now we’re going to play it in doubles where we have a team that gives us a lot of confidence. He is a complicated opponent for me, he had already beaten me three times, it was important to win the first set”, declared Zverev to SuperTennis microphones
In the first set Zverev left only two points to his opponent (94% with the first, 80% with the second, 20 out of 22 overall), indicative of a performance that allowed him to take the lead thanks to just one break and then calmly manage the rest of the operations. However, a different script unfolded in the second set, with the German’s serve dropping slightly in precision and effectiveness and Cerundolo being able to slowly get back into the match despite never managing to force his hand or create any break points. ù
Thus we reached the tie-break, where class and ranking finally returned to preside over the fate of the match. There were two decisive moments: a first exchange won by the German after both had landed their shots near the lines of the court, and a second – which lasted 37 shots – which ended up bending the Argentine’s knees, author of a double fault which definitively dashed his hopes of a comeback.
