Francisco Cerundolo delivered the comeback of the US Open so far on Saturday, rallying from two sets down to eliminate ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a draining third-round clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fritz, the 2024 US Open finalist who arrived in New York as one of the leading American hopes in a draw stripped of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, appeared to be cruising after winning the first two sets in straightforward fashion. The 27-year-old had lost only 11 games through his opening two matches and broke Cerundolo immediately at the start of the third set, seemingly poised to advance without serious resistance.
But Cerundolo, seeded 24th and making his first appearance on Arthur Ashe, found another gear. After breaking right back in that third-set opener, the Argentine began striking his forehand with conviction and varying his pace on serve. He levelled the match at two sets apiece and carried that momentum into a fifth set that became a battle of nerves.
The decisive passage came at 3-4 in the final set. Fritz earned three break points from 0-40, needing just one to serve for the match. Cerundolo responded with three consecutive unreturned first serves, then sealed the hold with a forehand winner. The momentum shifted instantly: Cerundolo broke Fritz for the sixth time in the match and served out to complete one of the most improbable victories of his career.
It was only the second time Cerundolo has come back from two sets down, and he did it under the most intense spotlight of his career. The 25-year-old struck 41 winners to Fritz's 37 and converted six of nine break-point opportunities. Fritz, for his part, committed 54 unforced errors — a tally that told the story of a match he controlled for two sets and then lost grip of entirely.
For Fritz, the defeat was a bitter blow. With Sinner sidelined by a knee injury and Djokovic eliminated in the first round by Mariano Navone, the American had a golden opportunity to go deep at a Slam on home soil. He had arrived in New York riding a 10-1 run since winning the Washington title in July. Instead, his US Open ended in the third round for the first time since 2022.
Fritz acknowledged the shift in Cerundolo's level after the break at the start of the third set. "From the baseline I felt like what won me the first two sets was that I was playing really well, and then he started playing more aggressive and making less mistakes," Fritz said. "He served incredible in the fourth and fifth, spots great. He served himself out of trouble."
Cerundolo, into the US Open fourth round for the first time, will face the winner of the third-round match between Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Sonego. At a tournament where six of the top-10 seeds have already fallen before the fourth round, the Argentine has every reason to believe a deeper run is possible.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/05/francisco-cerundolo-roars-back-stun-home-hope-taylor-fritz-us-open-tennis
- https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/fritz-crashes-out-of-us-open-third-round-to-cerundolo
- https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/francisco-cerundolo-stuns-taylor-fritz-202744555.html
