Francisco Cerúndolo defeats Taylor Fritz in five-set US Open comeback

Two-set lead for Fritz

Taylor Fritz entered Arthur Ashe Stadium in form after winning the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. and advancing through his first two rounds without dropping a set. In his previous match, Fritz spent just over 90 minutes defeating Mattia Bellucci while conceding only three games. The 28-year-old American carried that momentum into the early stages against Francisco Cerúndolo, who was playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time in his career. Fritz won the opening two sets 6-3, 6-4 in 94 minutes while saving 11 of the 13 break points he faced.

Cerúndolo mounts a comeback

The momentum shifted in the third set after Fritz earned an early break in the opening game. Cerúndolo recovered the break quickly, held his ground from the baseline, and capitalized when Fritz missed a shot beyond the baseline on break point in the sixth game to secure the set 6-3. Cerúndolo maintained pressure in the fourth set as Fritz struggled with his timing and landed just over half of his first serves across the afternoon. The American smacked his racket against his thigh after sending another shot long on break point in the fifth game, and he began talking between points with his coaches, Michael Russell and Paul Annacone, before Cerúndolo closed out the set 6-4.

He was playing way better than me the first two sets. I started getting into it step by step and I think fourth and fifth I played really good tennis. I wasn't finding that tennis in the previous sets, previous rounds.

Deciding moments in the fifth set

The fifth set tightened as both men held serve through the opening stages. Fritz created three break point opportunities for a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve for the match, but Cerúndolo erased each opportunity to hold. In the ninth game, Fritz faced 15-40 on his own serve when his shoelace snapped on court. Following the brief equipment delay, Fritz struck a ball into the net to concede the break, and Cerúndolo closed out the contest with a backhand strike after 3 hours and 40 minutes of play.

Draw implications and post-match reactions

The defeat represents Fritz's earliest exit from his home tournament in four years following his run to the final in 2024 and quarter-final appearances in 2023 and 2025. The result leaves the American men's field without its top-seeded contender in a draw missing injured world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and following the first-round exit of Novak Djokovic. Cerúndolo advanced to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time in his career. He joins compatriot Tomás Etcheverry to form the first Argentine duo in the US Open fourth round since Juan Martín del Potro and Diego Schwartzman reached that stage in 2017. Cerúndolo will face either Italian Flavio Cobolli or Belgian Alexander Blockx in the round of 16.

I don't even know what to say. I don't really want to talk to anybody, see anybody. I kind of just need to, like, get out for a couple days and then just kind of get back to work. I don't know how I let that happen today.