Francisco Cerundolo races into third round with dominant win over Dzumhur
Francisco Cerundolo won against Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday night. He’ll face the winner of the match between Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria and Russian Andrey Rublev, the No 13 seed, in the next round
Francisco Cerundolo, Australian Open 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Argentinian 18th seed Francisco Cerundolo became the first man to secure a place in the Australian Open round of 32 on Wednesday, dismantling Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in straight sets to match his career-best Melbourne performance.
The world No. 21 needed little time to assert his authority on the match, delivering a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 masterclass that highlighted the gap in power and consistency between the two players.
Cerundolo entered the match with significant momentum after a straight-sets victory over Zhizhen Zhang in the opening round, and he maintained that intensity from the first ball against Dzumhur. The Bosnian, currently ranked No. 66, was unable to find an answer for Cerundolo’s heavy forehand and tactical variety.
Following a competitive start to the first set, Cerundolo broke twice to take the lead and never looked back, winning the second and third sets with the loss of just three more games.
Cerundolo – Rublev next ?
The victory marks the third time in four years that Cerundolo has reached the third round at Melbourne Park, having previously reached this stage in 2023 and 2025. His clinical efficiency on Wednesday, rolling past an opponent who had looked sharp in his own opening-round win over Liam Draxl, sets a high bar for the rest of the men’s field as the second round gets underway.
Cerundolo now awaits a higher-stakes challenge in the round of 32. He will face the winner of the clash between 13th seed Andrey Rublev and Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria. A potential meeting with Rublev would represent a rematch of their high-intensity encounters in 2024 and 2025, and also a rematch of their UTS Hong Kong semifinal, while a match against Faria would offer the Argentinian a chance to break through into the second week of a Grand Slam once again.
