Juan Manuel Cerundolo will look to reach new territory at a major on Thursday at Roland Garros, though standing in his way is in-form World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
The 24-year-old Argentine is appearing in the second round of a Grand Slam main draw for only the third time in his career and has yet to progress beyond that stage. Ahead of his meeting with Sinner in Paris, ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about Cerundolo.
In strong form
While Sinner arrives on a 30-match winning streak and has claimed all five ATP Masters 1000 titles this season, Cerundolo heads into the contest with momentum of his own. Earlier this month, the Argentine lifted an ATP Challenger title in Bordeaux, beating four Top-100 opponents on his way to the trophy. He enters his showdown with Sinner riding a six-match winning streak across all levels.
An ATP Tour champion already
Cerundolo has already enjoyed success on the ATP Tour, producing a memorable breakthrough on home soil in Cordoba in 2021. Ranked World No. 355 at the time and just 19 years old, he won eight matches in nine days — including three in qualifying — to capture the title in his ATP Tour debut. He reached a second tour-level final in Gstaad last year but fell to Alexander Bublik in three sets.
Top-50 breakthrough?
After his triumph in Bordeaux, Cerundolo climbed to a career-high No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings and arrived at Roland Garros ranked No. 56, just two spots off that mark. With a win over Sinner, Cerundolo could crack the Top 50 for the first time in his career.
A dangerous left-hander
Cerundolo started playing tennis at age three at his father’s academy. As a left-hander, he naturally looked up to Rafael Nadal, and it is no surprise that Roland Garros is his favourite tournament. His forehand is his standout shot, capable of causing problems with its heavy spin and high bounce.
A brother with Sinner experience
Cerundolo has faced Sinner once before, losing their only previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2023, but he may be able to turn to his older brother for insight. Francisco Cerundolo owns two wins over Sinner in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, including a clay-court victory in Rome in 2023.
Juan Manuel and Francisco also made history as just the fourth set of brothers to face each other on the ATP Tour since 2000, meeting in the second round of their home ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires last year.
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