Francisco Cerundolo advanced to his second career Masters 1000 semi-final with an impressive comeback win over Jakub Mensik.
The Argentine star has proved himself to be one of the best clay-court players on the ATP Tour in 2025, winning more matches (16) than any other player on the surface.
He picked up a big win in the fourth round, as Cerundolo stunned Alexander Zverev in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
He then made his way through to his first Masters 1000 semi-final in three years, with a comeback win over Jakub Mensik, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
However, while Cerundolo and Mensik provided some thrilling action in Madrid, the match may be better remembered for highlighting a ‘ridiculous’ issue which continues to plague the sport.
Tennis fans slam ‘ridiculous’ kit clash during Francisco Cerundolo’s win over Jakub Mensik in Madrid
The two Adidas athletes turned up to their Madrid Open quarterfinal match in identical kits.
- Both wore yellow backwards caps
- Both wore a black t-shirt
- Both wore yellow shorts
- Both wore yellow sweatbands
- Both wore black and white shoes
In doing so, fans watching around the world struggled to tell the difference between the two players throughout.
Many took to X to share their thoughts on the ‘ridiculous’ kit clash.
“This is ridiculous,” said one fan.
“Tennis is so ridiculous sometimes,” added another.
One fan suggested the choice of attire wasn’t ‘helpful’ for the viewers.
“[Francisco] Cerundolo and [Jakub] Mensik: same shorts, shirt, wristband,” they said.
“Same cap, worn in the same way. Same shoes and socks. Not helpful for viewers.”
“Unwatchable even for a diehard tennis fan,” said one disgruntled viewer on X.
“Imagine a casual observer tuning in. Tennis has got to be the stupidest sport sometimes.”
Several other fans called for a rule change, after seeing Cerundolo and Mensik battle it out.
“We’ve got to stop with these kit clashes in tennis man, I look down for a minute and I just forget who’s who,” said one fan.
“This is just horrible to watch, and should be illegal in any sport.”
“This is so unhinged,” added another.
“Ban wearing the same outfit immediately.”
The same issue occurred during Jack Draper’s win over Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final earlier this year, as the two Nike athletes wore the exact same kit.
The problem, from a distance at least, seems to have a very simple solution. Ban players from wearing the same kits.
Every major tennis apparel company has more than one kit available to use, so there could be a simple rule in place to prevent players from taking to the court with an identical outfit to their opponent.
If players chose to be stubborn about who of the pair needed to change, the decision could be made by ranking, forcing the lower-ranked player to swap into a different kit.
It remains to be seen if ATP Tour officials will look into such a change, but there certainly seems to be some real demand for a solution.
Francisco Cerundolo prepares for a ‘fight’ against Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open semi-finals
Cerundolo won’t be too bothered by the kit drama, having booked his place in the Madrid Open semis with a thrilling win over Mensik.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Cerundolo looked ahead to his last four encounter with Norway’s Casper Ruud.
“Playing Casper [Ruud] in the semi-finals is going to be a super tough match, I think it’s 5-3, the head-to-head, but we play on clay maybe four or five times, 2-2 or 3-2 to him, I think,” he said.
“It’s going to be a fight tomorrow. I saw him today, he’s playing really good this week, I think he hasn’t lost a set, so it’s going to be a fight again.”
| Match | Surface | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Miami Open – 4R | Hard | Francisco Cerundolo | Casper Ruud | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2024 Laver Cup – RR | Hard | Francisco Cerundolo | Casper Ruud | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 Olympics – 3R | Clay | Casper Ruud | Francisco Cerundolo | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2023 Paris Masters – 2R | Hard | Francisco Cerundolo | Casper Ruud | 7-5, 6-4 |
| 2023 Italian Open – QF | Clay | Casper Ruud | Francisco Cerundolo | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2023 Barcelona Open – 3R | Clay | Francisco Cerundolo | Casper Ruud | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2022 Swedish Open – 2R | Clay | Francisco Cerundolo | Casper Ruud | 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 |
| 2022 Miami Open – SF | Hard | Casper Ruud | Francisco Cerundolo | 6-4, 6-1 |
The clay head-to-head record is level at 2-2, although Ruud has won their previous two matches on the surface.
Ruud beat Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals to book his place in the semi-finals and looked dominant throughout.
Only time will tell if Cerundolo can retake the lead in his clay head-to-head with Ruud when they face off for a place in the Madrid Open final.
Cerundolo and Ruud will play their Madrid Open semi-final match on Friday, May 2.
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