Without rhythm and without confidence, the time of the best tennis player in the country at the Argentina Open was short-lived.
Francisco Cerúndolo (22nd in the world and 2nd seed) fell in his debut in the tournament against another Argentine, Facundo Díaz Acosta.
It was 7-6 and 6-0 for the Pan American champion in Santiago de Chile and who has just made the quarterfinals in Córdoba.
The other side is Cerúndolo, who still hasn't found his best level or the consistency that led him to break the barrier of the top 20 last year (today he is 22nd).
After the tough defeat in a tournament in which he had arrived in Buenos Aires last year, Cerúndolo first showed his frustration on the central court of Lawn Tennis where
he broke a racket
by hitting it against the floor.
And then he expressed himself on his X account. "Very difficult moment, very sad. I want to thank everyone who supports me and continues to push me to move forward."
And then he added: "Because in good times everyone is there, but when you start to lose a little it seems like not. Keep working."
Very difficult moment, a lot of sadness.
I want to thank everyone who supports me and continues to push me to move forward.
Because everyone is there in good times, but when you start to lose a little it seems like not.
To continue working.
— Francisco Cerúndolo (@FranCerundolo) February 15, 2024
Without making it clear to whom the message is directed, "losing a little" points to
Cerúndolo's bad start to the year
.
He has two wins and five losses.
His only victory on the circuit was in the first round of the Australian Open against local Dane Sweeny and then he lost to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.
Before the first Grand Slam of the year he had accumulated two defeats in his debuts in Hong Kong and Auckland.
And for ATP tournaments, another fall in his first step in the Córdoba tournament.
Before the tournament in the Mediterranean province he had been part of the Argentine Davis Cup team that in Rosario achieved an agonizing victory against Kazakhstan.
There Cerúndolo contributed a victory and a fall.