Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images
Francisco Cerundolo in action against Luciano Darderi in the Buenos Aires title match.
By Andy West
Francisco Cerundolo put a history of Buenos Aires heartache behind him in style on Sunday afternoon, when the top seed eased to his maiden title at the IEB+ Argentina Open.
A defeated finalist in 2021 and 2025, hometown favourite Cerundolo overcame second seed Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-2 to seal an emotional triumph at the clay ATP 250 event. Cerundolo held his nerve in a see-saw final set, in which all but two games featured at least one break point, to lift his fourth ATP Tour trophy and his first on Argentine soil.
Fran, let the party begin 🕺
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026
Home hero @FranCerundolo wins the title in Buenos Aires in front of his adoring fans! @iebmasargopen | #ArgOpen2026 pic.twitter.com/UZWeNGzMCZ
“Probably the best moment of my career so far,” declared Cerundolo after his 97-minute win. “I really wanted to win here in my hometown, in my country, with my friends and family and all the people here in Argentina. This feeling is amazing. I really fought throughout these past years and tried to win. I couldn’t do it, and today I played one of the best matches probably of my career.”
The No. 19 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Cerundolo is the seventh home champion in the history of the IEB+ Argentina Open, which was first held in 2001. The 27-year-old has now won a Tour-leading 46 matches on clay since the start of the 2024 season, two more than second-placed Darderi.
Cerundolo saved six of seven break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, including all five in the opening set. He now leads 24-year-old Italian Darderi, who himself was born and spent much of his childhood in Argentina, 3-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“I think I played really good, really aggressive. I didn’t let him take initative of the points,” said Cerundolo. “It’s a final. You have to go for it. Nobody wants to lose, and everybody wants to win. I played for every point today.”
Despite falling short of his fifth ATP Tour title, Darderi will rise to a career-high World No. 21 on Monday after his run to the championship match in Argentina.
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