Today in the 3rd round of the French tournament Roland Garros, Argentine Francisco Cerundolo will face American Tommy Paul.
Ranked 27th in the world, Francisco Cerundolo shows an even record of 15 victories and 15 defeats. Struggling on hard courts (3 wins and 5 defeats), he performs better on clay with 11 wins against 9 losses. The Argentine has demonstrated solid play at Roland Garros, winning his first two matches without losing a set. He started the tournament with a convincing win over Yannick Hanfmann, defeating him 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, reaffirming his strong form on clay. In the second round, he showed high-level play again, defeating qualifier Filip Misolic 6-2, 7-6, 6-0. Cerundolo's game has been especially effective on the return, which has helped him dominate his matches. In previous matches on clay this season, Cerundolo had mixed results. He faced difficulties against Taylor Fritz in Madrid, where he managed to take one set but ultimately lost 1-2 (6-1, 3-6, 3-6).
However, he bounced back with a victory over Gigante in Rome in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. His match against Karen Khachanov in Rome didn't go well, resulting in a 0-2 (2-6, 4-6) defeat, highlighting some inconsistency in his game on European clay. From the third round onwards, Cerundolo will face a significant step up in opposition level with Tommy Paul, who has become a formidable opponent on clay.
Ranked 14th in the world, Tommy Paul has shown confidence in the current Roland Garros, easily overcoming the first two rounds. In the first round, he secured a convincing win over Argentine Pedro Cachin with a score of 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, and in the next round, he dispatched Italian Fabio Fognini equally convincingly — 6-1, 6-0, 6-2. In total, Paul has spent only 3.5 hours on court, indicating his dominant play and excellent preparation for the matches. Recently, Paul has significantly improved his performances on clay courts, reaching the semi-finals of major tournaments in Rome and Madrid. These successes bring him closer to the goal of entering the top-10 of the world rankings, and his high form and stability on clay open new prospects for him in the current Roland Garros, where he has reached the third round for the first time in his career.
On clay the American has 7 wins and 2 losses. He has secured 21 victories with 8 losses in all matches this year and has already won 1 title. At Roland Garros, the American continues to demonstrate prowess, especially with his powerful serve, preventing any break points against Fognini. The next match against Francisco Cerundolo promises to be a serious test, considering the current form of the Argentine. Paul undoubtedly aims to surpass his last year's result and progress further in the tournament bracket.
Last month, Cerundolo managed to defeat Paul in Madrid with a score of 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. Earlier in Toronto on hard court, Paul prevailed with a score of 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. In 3 matches on grass, Cerundolo has been the victor twice.
I expect a victory for the American, who is more consistent and shows good results, having defeated Hurkacz and Medvedev. Cerundolo often falters at crucial moments in matches.
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