Argentina is the toast of the sporting world thanks to its thrilling victory in last week’s FIFA World Cup.
Yet it is not only football in which the South American nation is thriving.
Francisco Cerundolo shot up the rankings in 2022 to become one of seven Argentine men in the world’s top 100. He peaked at world No.24, and is currently ranked 30th.
Thanks to his extraordinary rise this year, the 24-year-old is likely to be seeded at Australian Open 2023 – 12 months on from falling in the first round of AO 2022 qualifying.
TICKETS: Catch Francisco Cerundolo in action at AO 2023
But before that, he will open his 2023 season at the United Cup, where he is representing Team Argentina in Perth.
We chart Cerundolo’s ascent, beginning with his strong results in February’s Latin American clay-court swing.
14 February 2022: Cracks top 100
Cerundolo was ranked world No.127 as he departed Australia, following his opening-round AO qualifying loss to countryman Pedro Cachin. Yet once he returned to South America and felt the clay under his feet, he was rejuvenated. He thrived at Challenger events in Conception and Santa Cruz – winning the latter – and then won through the qualifying rounds to reach the quarterfinals of his home ATP tournament in Buenos Aires. These results helped push him inside the top 100 for the first time.
(Rankings rise after Buenos Aires: +7 to world No.100)
19 February 2022: Reaches first ATP 500 semifinal in Rio
By beating Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals in Rio, Cerundolo’s post-AO win-loss record improved to 14-3. He lost to Argentine No.1 Diego Schwartzman in his next match – the same player who stopped him in Buenos Aires – but by advancing to a 500-level semifinal, Cerundolo’s ranking enjoyed another healthy boost.
(Rankings rise after Rio: +24 to world No.76)
30 March 2022: Advances to first Masters semifinal in Miami
Switching to American hard courts required some adjustment time – he lost first up at both Indian Wells and the Phoenix Challenger – but Cerundolo caught fire when he arrived in Miami. He upset seeds Reilly Opelka, Gael Monfils, Frances Tiafoe and an injured Jannik Sinner en route to the biggest semifinal of his career. Casper Ruud ultimately ended his run, in straight sets.
(Rankings rise after Miami: +52 to world No.51)
8 May 2022: Back on track in Rome
Cerundolo suffered a comedown after that Miami breakthrough, but snapped a three-match losing streak in Rome. He won through qualifying at the Masters 1000 tournament – beating impressive opponents in Yoshihito Nishioka and Joao Sousa – before falling to world No.27 John Isner in the main draw.
(Rankings rise after Rome: +5 to world No.44)
13 June 2022: Shows promise on grass
While his success this year came predominantly on clay, Cerundolo performed well on the diametrically-opposed surface of grass. He reached the second round at Queen’s Club, almost toppled Tommy Paul in the opening round in Eastbourne, and stretched eventual semifinalist Rafael Nadal to four sets in his Wimbledon Centre Court debut. His win at the 500-level event in Queen’s put him on the cusp of the top 40.
(Rankings rise after Queen’s: +4 to world No.42)
17 July 2022: Wins first ATP title in Bastad
Immediately after Wimbledon, Cerundolo played the clay-court event in Bastad – and came away with his first career ATP title. He avenged his Miami defeat to Ruud in the second round, then beat Aslan Karatsev, Pablo Carreno Busta and Sebastien Baez in his last three matches – all in straight sets – to complete a memorable week in Sweden, which saw him crack the top 30.
(Rankings rise after Bastad: +9 to world No.30)
22 July 2022: Semifinals in Hamburg, hits career high
More excellent wins followed the next week in Hamburg. Cerundolo upset world No.8 Andrey Rublev then beat Karatsev again to advance to the semifinals, taking his winning streak to eight. Eventual champion Lorenzo Musetti stopped him there, but the Hamburg result propelled Cerundolo to a career-high mark of world No.24 – meaning he had improved more than 100 places in the rankings in just six months.
(Rankings rise after Hamburg: +6 to world No.24)
Cerundolo maintained his position inside the world’s top 30 for the rest of the season, with his last match victories coming via first-round wins at ATP events in Gijon, Antwerp and Vienna.