Francisco Cerundolo one win after banishing heartbreak in Buenos Aires | ATP tour | Tennis

Buenos Aires

Cerundolo one win after banishing the heartbreak in Buenos Aires

Top seed Cerundolo advances to the final without losing a set, to face Darderi for the trophy
February 14, 2026

One more win.

That’s all that separates Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo from his first title on home soil after top seed defeated compatriot and seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the final of the IEB+ Argentina Open.

Twice before Cerundolo had reached the final of the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires and each time he fell just short. Now the 27-year-old will look to take advantage of his third chance to lift the trophy on Sunday when he takes on second seed Luciano Darderi.

“Just win the last game. I think that’s the only thing I have to do now,” Cerundolo said in his on-field interview. “My first final here [was] at probably peak [Diego] Schwartzman in the best moment of his career, [ninth] in the world. I wasn’t mature enough to play those matches. He killed me.

“Last year I played incredibly [Joao] Fonseca. I think we played a great final, but he was a little better than me. So tomorrow I will try to be a little better than the opponent.”

Cerundolo is now 15-7 at the Buenos Aires event according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Although he reached the final in 2021 and 2025, this is the first time he reached the championship match without losing a set.

In an all-Argentine battle against Etcheverry, Cerundolo leaned on his big forehand at critical moments and won 39 percent of his return points to put constant pressure on Etcheverry, taking a 3-2 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Super happy. It was really difficult conditions today, super windy. Really difficult to play. I think we both did our best. It was difficult. We managed to play good points. I think I served really well, played my service games great… I think that was the key. I didn’t let him play with that much confidence in his service games.”

Darderi, who won three titles last season, will play for his first of 2026 on Sunday. The second seed, competing on his 24th birthday, breezed past fourth seed Sebastian Baez 7-6(2), 6-1 in one hour and 18 minutes.

“I think the first set was very tough. He played a very good level. But I stayed focused in the tiebreak. I think that was the key. I served very well throughout the match,” Darderi said. “Today is my birthday, so it’s very special to play here in Buenos Aires. My whole family is here, my team, everyone is here, so I’m very happy.”

The Italian, the No. 21 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will enter the Top 20 for the first time if he beats Cerundolo.