Cerundolo sees men’s draw wide open after stunning Fritz comeback at US Open

Francisco Cerundolo mounted an extraordinary comeback against ninth seed Taylor Fritz at the US Open, turning a two-set deficit and a break down into a five-set victory.

The 24th-seeded Argentine defeated the former finalist 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The result marked one of the tournament’s major upsets and sent Cerundolo into the fourth round in New York for the first time.

Only four top-10 seeds remained in the draw after Fritz’s defeat. Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur were among the other seeded players already eliminated at Flushing Meadows.

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It shows you how even the circuit is right now, how tight every match is, how difficult it is to win matches, because anything can happen right now. A lot of players are playing good. The level, it’s super tight. It’s open to everyone. Everyone can win.

Cerundolo said the results showed how closely matched the men’s tour had become. “It shows you how even the circuit is right now, how tight every match is, how difficult it is to win matches, because anything can happen right now,” he told reporters. “A lot of players are playing good. The level, it’s super tight. It’s open to everyone. Everyone can win.”

His next opponent will be Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, who eliminated fifth seed Flavio Cobolli later on Saturday. Cerundolo lost to Blockx in their only previous meeting, in the last 16 at the Madrid Masters 1000 earlier this year. “I’m going for more, I’m not settling,” Cerundolo told Argentine media.

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I’m going for more, I’m not settling.