Cerúndolo's Defeat Ends Argentine Hopes in Shanghai
Francisco Cerúndolo, Argentina's highest-ranked player at No. 20 in the world, was defeated by the Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the third round of the Shanghai Masters 1000 on Sunday. The match lasted just under two hours on the hard courts in China. With this loss, the tournament no longer has any Argentine representatives, as the entire delegation of nine players was eliminated before reaching the round of 16.[S1][S2][S3]
The defeat was particularly painful for Cerúndolo, who had beaten Mensik just days earlier at the ATP 500 in Beijing by a score of 6-3, 6-3 in only one hour and 17 minutes. That victory was his third in as many meetings against the 21-year-old Czech, ranked No. 15, having also won in Beijing in 2024 and Madrid in 2025. This time, however, Mensik managed to break that streak.[S1][S2][S3]
Match Report: Mensik's Strong Start and Cerúndolo's Brief Comeback
Mensik began the match more solidly from the baseline, moving Cerúndolo around the court and forcing errors. He secured the first break in the fourth game and maintained that advantage to take the opening set 6-3. In the second set, Cerúndolo fought back, converting a break point late in the set to win it 6-3 and level the match. However, in the decisive third set, Mensik regained control, breaking Cerúndolo's serve early to take a 3-0 lead and eventually sealing the victory 6-2.[S1][S2][S3]
For Mensik, the win was his first against Cerúndolo after three previous losses. He advances to the round of 16, where he will face France's Arthur Gea, who caused an upset by defeating the third-seeded American Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3).[S1][S2][S3]
A Tournament to Forget for the Argentine Legion
Cerúndolo's elimination completed a difficult week for Argentine tennis. On Saturday, five Argentines lost their second-round matches. Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, who had reached the second round by beating Colombia's Nicolás Mejía, was defeated by Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 3 and second seed, 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour. Tomás Etcheverry, ranked No. 28, lost to the Czech Republic's Dalibor Svrcina 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Sebastián Báez fell to Monaco's Valentin Vacherot, the defending champion, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Thiago Tirante lost to Spain's Rafael Jódar 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 after winning the first set. Camilo Ugo Carabelli came close to an upset but was defeated by Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime, the fourth seed, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5.[S1][S2][S3]
Earlier in the tournament, Marco Trungelliti lost in the first round to Japan's Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-5, while Mariano Navone and Facundo Díaz Acosta also failed to advance past the first round. The Argentine participation in Shanghai ended without any player reaching the round of 16, a stark contrast to Cerúndolo's best previous result in 2023 when he reached that stage.[S1][S2][S3]
