F
rancisco Cerúndolo
(20th seed), the only Argentine still in the race at the Miami Masters 1000, plays this Monday against the Russian
Karen Khachanov
(15th) for a place in the round of 16 of the tournament that is played on cement in Miami Gardens.
Cerúndolo, who has just beaten the Austrian
Sebastian Ofner
7-6 (2), 6-7 (2) and 6-1 in the second round, must deal with the powerful serve of Khachanov, 27 years old, who had a very good debut against Serbian
Laslo Djere
, whom he defeated 6-2, 6-4.
It is the third time that the Argentine and the Russian meet on the ATP circuit.
The two previous duels were in the hands of the European, who prevailed in the second round of the 2022 edition of the Montreal Masters 1000 by 7-6 (4), 5-7 and 6-3 and last year, in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Miami, when he won by a double 6-3.
The tournament in Miami suits the oldest of the Cerúndolo brothers very well.
This is his third participation and in the aforementioned quarterfinals of 2023 we must add his shocking landing in the semifinals in 2022. On that occasion he became the player with the lowest ranking - he was 103rd - to reach the prelude to the semifinal in this Masters 1000 and the first tennis player to make the semifinals in his first appearance in a competition of this caliber since Jerzy Janowicz did it in Paris 2012.