Top seed Francisco Cerundolo locks horns with compatriot Federico Delbonis in the round of 16 of the Cordoba Open on Thursday.
By virtue of being the second-seeded player, Cerundolo has received a bye into the second round. He lost to Borna Coric in straight sets in the United Cup to begin the year.
In the Australian Open, the 24-year-old made it to the third round. He got the better of fellow Argentine player Guido Pella in the first round and Corentin Moutet in the second round before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. Cerundolo’s win against Pella was his first triumph at a Grand Slam. In the doubles event, he teamed up with Tomas Martin Etcheverry and crashed out in the first round. Cerundolo is one of the favorites to go the distance in the tournament.
The 32-year-old began the season by playing in a Challenger event in Canberra. He was ousted in the first round by Jan-Lennard Struff. In the Australian Open, Delbonis lost in the first round of qualifying to Nicolas Kicker. Delbonis made it to the quarterfinals of a Challenger event in Concepcion before coming to play in the Cordoba Open.
In the first round of the Cordoba Open, Delbonis managed to come from a set down to defeat Alejandro Tabilo. This was the Argentine veteran’s first win in seven months in the main draw of an ATP event.
The two Argentine players will be meeting each other for the first time on the court. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Francisco Cerundolo to win in three sets.
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