Francisco Cerundolo sends message to his brother after beating him at the Argentina Open

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Some of the finest clay court players in men’s tennis are competing at this week’s Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

The stars of the ATP Tour are split across three continents this week, with players participating in Delray Beach, Marseille, and Buenos Aires for the Argentina Open.

South American fans were treated to a blockbuster day of tennis on Wednesday, kicked off by Joao Fonseca’s big win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Home favorite Diego Schwartzman then beat Nicolas Jarry in a three-set thriller, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, to prolong his retirement.

World number two Alexander Zverev made his debut on the South American clay, taking down Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.

It was the final match of the evening that was perhaps the most intriguing, however, as two brothers faced off for the first time on the ATP Tour.

Following the match, the pair exchanged messages on social media, as they looked back upon an entertaining evening.

Francisco Cerundolo ‘hopes’ to play Juan Manuel Cerundolo ‘many more’ times after Argentina Open win

World number 28 Francisco Cerundolo beat his younger brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Court Guillermo Villas, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the Argentina Open quarter-finals.

Following the match, Francisco Cerundolo took to twitter to share his thoughts on their match.

“Unique night for everyone,” he said.

“I hope we have many more of these Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

“Let’s keep growing, see you on Friday.”

Juan Manuel Cerundolo then replied, joking with his brother before wishing him luck ahead of his next match.

“You gave me a hard time, a pain,” he said.

“Hit more out next time so it’s more entertaining.

“Keep going like this on Friday.”

Francisco Cerundolo then replied as he looked forward to a potential second meeting with his brother later this month.

“Haha we’re going to have more games, forget it,” he said.

“Go to Rio.

“We’re fine, thanks.”

Juan Manuel Cerundolo is scheduled to play in the Rio Open qualifying tournament, while Francisco Cerundolo enters the event as the fifth seed.

Francisco Cerundolo set for Argentina Open quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev

After beating his brother in the last 16, Francisco Cerundolo will now turn his attention to Zverev, who he is set to play in the quarter-finals.

Cerundolo won their only previous meeting at last year’s Madrid Open, taking down Zverev in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

The result was Cerundolo’s highest-ranked win of 2024, having enjoyed significant success against top-ten players over recent years.

Cerundolo’s win over then world number three Casper Ruud in Barcelona two years ago remains the biggest win of his career, as he bested the Norwegian star on the Spanish clay.

Argentina Open: Thursday, February 13 order of play

Court Guillermo Villas is set to host the final four round of 16 matches on Thursday, as players look to join Zverev, Cerundolo, Laslo Djere, and Thiago Seyboth Wild in the last eight.

• Match 1 – Joao Fonseca v Federico Coria
• Match 2 – Pedro Martinez v Diego Schwartzman
• Match 3 – [2] Holger Rune v Mariano Navone
• Match 4 – [3] Lorenzo Musetti v Corentin Moutet

18-year-old Wild Card Fonseca will look to continue his impressive run of form by securing a second win over an Argentine in as many days.

Schwartzman will then take to the court, hoping to pull off another upset and hold off his retirement for at least one more match.

Two of the top three seeds, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti, will close out the evening as they search for their first titles of 2025.