Cerundolo Claims Emotional Hometown Crown
Under the weight of past finals’ scars, Francisco Cerundolo turned Buenos Aires clay into his kingdom, outlasting Luciano Darderi in a match that pulsed with local fervor and tactical grit.
On a sun-drenched Sunday in Buenos Aires, Francisco Cerundolo shed years of local frustration with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory over Luciano Darderi. The top seed, a finalist in 2021 and 2025 at the IEB+ Argentina Open, captured his first title on Argentine soil after 97 minutes of tension-packed clay combat. This fourth ATP Tour trophy arrived amid roars from fans who had waited for their hero to break through.
Cerundolo, the No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved six of seven break points, including all five in the opening set, to edge a first set riddled with chances. He leads the Tour with 46 clay wins since 2024 began, two more than his 24-year-old opponent, whose Italian passport belies deep Argentine ties. The 27-year-old now holds a 3-2 edge in their head-to-head, a rivalry sharpened on these red courts.
“Probably the best moment of my career so far,” declared Cerundolo after his 97-minute win. “I really wanted to win here in my hometown, in my country, with my friends and family and all the people here in Argentina. This feeling is amazing. I really fought throughout these past years and tried to win. I couldn’t do it, and today I played one of my best matches probably of my career.”
Shouldering the crowd’s roar
The air thickened with chants as Cerundolo stepped onto the court, ghosts of prior heartbreaks hovering like dust off the baseline. He absorbed Darderi‘s early aggression—heavy topspin forehands forcing defensive crosscourts—with deep returns that stretched rallies into endurance tests. By refusing to let his opponent seize the initiative, the hometown player turned crowd energy into fuel, their cheers cresting with each saved break point.
In that see-saw opener, nearly every game dangled on a knife’s edge, demanding unflinching focus. Cerundolo mixed slice backhands to disrupt rhythm, then unleashed inside-out forehands to pin Darderi wide, converting his chance at 5-4 with a down-the-line winner. This mental steel, forged over 46 clay battles, silenced doubts and amplified the stadium’s pulse.
Fran, let the party begin
Home hero @FranCerundolo wins the title in Buenos Aires in front of his adoring fans! @iebmasargopen | #ArgOpen2026 pic.twitter.com/UZWeNGzMCZ— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026
Shifting gears on red dirt
Into the second set, Cerundolo elevated, stepping inside the baseline to take balls on the rise and neutralize Darderi’s probing slices. His 1–2 pattern—wide serves setting up crosscourt forehands—opened angles the Italian couldn’t cover, yielding quick breaks on the slower surface. The shift exposed Darderi’s flat shots faltering against the topspin wall, errors mounting as points dragged beyond nine shots.
“I think I played really good, really aggressive. I didn’t let him take initiative of the points,” said Cerundolo. “It’s a final. You have to go for it. Nobody wants to lose, and everybody wants to win. I played for every point today.” As the seventh home champion since the event’s 2001 start, he closed with a forehand crosscourt that ignited the stands, Fran, let the party begin for home hero @FranCerundolo in front of adoring fans at @iebmasargopen under #ArgOpen2026 on February 15, 2026, captured via pic.twitter.com/UZWeNGzMCZ.
Forging ahead with fire
Darderi’s run lifts him to a career-high No. 21 on Monday, a silver lining in defeat at this ATP 250 clay event. For Cerundolo, the release propels him toward South American swings, his baseline endurance and tactical adaptability now battle-tested at home. This breakthrough cements his clay dominance, eyes fixed on majors where hometown glory sharpens the edge.
