Miami
Cerundolo keeps Miami love affair alive with upset over in-form Medvedev

Argentine is into the fourth round for the fourth time in five appearances in Miami

March 23, 2026

ATP Tour

Francisco Cerundolo defeats Daniil Medvedev in three sets on Monday in Miami.
By Jerome Coombe

Francisco Cerundolo’s affinity for the Miami Open presented by Itau shows no sign of fading.

The 27-year-old Argentine produced a gritty 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 victory over in-form World No. 10 Daniil Medvedev on Monday to reach the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event for the fourth time in five appearances.

“I felt good in my first-round match here, and now I feel way better,” said Cerundolo, the No. 19 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, after his first Top-10 win of the season. “I’m recovering that confidence. The level was there, I was just trying to find it. But now, the Round of 16, so hopefully I can keep it up.”

Fran is feeling the love in Miami 💙@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen | @FranCerundolo pic.twitter.com/YpIlRxtmMC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 23, 2026

Medvedev arrived in Miami full of confidence after ending World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect 16-0 start to the 2026 season in the Indian Wells semi-finals, reasserting himself among the game’s elite. Yet Cerundolo consistently disrupted the former World No. 1 with his trademark forehand aggression.

Cerundolo has long thrived in South Florida, highlighted by his semi-final run on debut in 2022 before he added quarter-final showings in 2023 and 2025. Now targeting another last-eight appearance, he will next face Ugo Humbert, whom he defeated in their only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Medvedev, meanwhile, was chasing a Tour-leading 20th win of the season, having already claimed titles in Brisbane and Dubai. Instead, the 30-year-old exits Miami with a 19-5 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Cerundolo dominated early, racing through the opening set and appearing on course for a straight-sets win before Medvedev rallied from 1-3 down in the second. The pair traded high-quality rallies in the Florida heat, highlighted by an instinctive winner from Medvedev to end a 22-ball exchange and ignited the crowd.

The former World No. 1 saved four break points in a pivotal 3-4 game. But Cerundolo ultimately had the final say, unleashing his forehand with authority to close out victory after two hours, 17 minutes.

“It was a great match, super tough,” Cerundolo said. “It was my first match against Daniil. He’s probably one of the only guys on Tour who I have never played. I didn’t know what to expect. He has had a great year so far, so I didn’t expect to be up 6-0 in the first set and a break up in the second.

“Suddenly he started playing super good. But I kept believing and stayed there in the match. In the third set, it was a really good set from both and it ended up my way.”