Third time lucky for Cerundolo in Santiago

Francisco Cerundolo earned his first match win at the Movistar Chile Open on Wednesday when he clawed past Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5) in Santiago.

The Argentine lost his previous two matches at the ATP 250 clay-court event but ensured history would not repeat itself for a third time, winning a tight battle against Hanfmann after two hours and 29 minutes.

"I am really happy to get the win," Cerundolo said. "I was feeling really good at the start of the second set, I felt in control of the match and was playing really well. The past two years I came here I didn't play good and today I was feeling good.

"After that he got a break and I think I started feeling a little nervous and was not playing the way I was before. He played much better and after that it was a super tough match."

Cerundolo, who squandered a break advantage in the third set, now leads Hanfmann 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Having reached the final in Buenos Aires earlier this month, the three-time tour-level titlist will seek another deep run this week in Chile. Into the quarter-finals, the top seed will next face countryman Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who ousted 2021 champion and home favourite Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-4.

Etcheverry leads Cerundolo 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, including a win in Santiago two years ago. The 25-year-old also won a five-set battle against Cerundolo at the US Open last year.

In other second-round action, Serbian Laslo Djere defeated fourth seed Pedro Martinez 6-1, 6-4 to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the season. Djere, who advanced to the semis in Buenos Aires earlier this month, also enjoyed runs to the last eight in Santiago in 2021 and 2023.

Djere will next meet Portgual’s Jaime Faria. The 21-year-old broke into the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday and has backed that up with two good wins in Chile. Faria eliminated Brazilian qualifier Gustavo Heide 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4.

Argentine Federico Coria led Chilean wild card Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1 when play was suspended on Tuesday due to a curfew because of widespread power outages across the country. Coria wasted little time reaching the second round on resumption Wednesday, sealing a 6-1, 6-0 victory in 72 minutes.

Francisco Comesana held a 7-6(3), 1-2 advantage against Felipe Meligeni Alves when play stopped on Tuesday. He returned to clinch a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) first-round win against the Brazilian qualifier.