Alexander Zverev is off to a strong start in his campaign at the Canadian Open, with two wins under his belt in Toronto.
Zverev won his opening match against Adam Walton in straight sets and earned a comeback win over Matteo Arnaldi in round two.
The German is competing in his first tournament since his short-lived Wimbledon run, where he crashed out in the first round to Arthur Rinderknech.
In his next match at the event, Zverev will come up against an ATP star he has never managed to beat.
Photo by Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe ATP star that is undefeated against Alexander Zverev on tour
Set to play him in the next round at the Canadian Open is Francisco Cerundolo, who is 3-0 against the world number three.
Speaking with Tennis Channel ahead of the clash, Cerundolo said: “I mean, every time he sees me, he tells me ‘I don’t want to see you anymore’ (laughs), but I mean, it’s what it is.
“I have a positive record against him, but I have terrible records against others. I lost seven times to Khachanov, and he always plays Khachanov and beats him, and I’m telling him how do you do?
“He says to me ‘I can’t beat you’, but I mean it’s what it is, there may be some types of games that suit you better than others.
“But every time I play him, they are super close matches, he’s a top guy, top three in the world, he was two. He has a match to play against Arnaldi today, that he’s a great player also.
“I’m going to relax tonight, watch the match, see who wins, how they play and then prepare for the match against who wins. Either Sascha or Matteo, it’s going to be a tough match for me.”
Francisco Cerundolo’s three victories over Alexander Zverev
Cerundolo’s first bout with Zverev came in the fourth round of the Madrid Open in 2024, when he won in straight sets.
They then met the following season in Buenos Aires, where the 28-year-old managed to take a set off his opponent, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.
MatchScore2025 Madrid Open Fourth Round7-5, 6-32025 Argentina Open Quarterfinal3-6, 6-3, 6-22025 Madrid Open Fourth Round6-3, 6-4Francisco Cerundolo’s three wins over Alexander Zverev
Meeting once again at the Madrid Open in 2025, the Argentine defeated Zverev to advance to the quarterfinals in the Spanish capital.
Having played each other only on clay in their careers, the two will face off on hard-court for the very first time.