US Open: Cerúndolo battles for third-round ticket

Top-ranked Argentine tennis player Francisco Cerúndolo fought hard to earn his spot in the third round of the US Open. The 28-year-old, who is currently ranked 25th in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rankings, battled against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff (44) in a match that was anything but predictable. Cerúndolo faced challenges throughout the game, starting on the back foot and struggling with his serve, which played a part in his loss in the third set after trailing 5-2.

Things took a turn when Cerúndolo served to level the score, but he was once again caught off guard with a disappointing service game, leading to a furious outburst and smashing of his racket. However, this outburst seemed to help the player from Buenos Aires regain his focus, as he took control in the fourth set and secured the match.

Cerúndolo admitted, "I didn’t play well," but recognized that his service games in the fifth set were his best moments. He praised Struff as a "very dangerous player" who keeps you on your toes, stating that the only way to handle him is to "weather the storm." Cerúndolo expressed his excitement about reaching the US Open third round for the first time, where he will face home favorite Taylor Fritz (10), who defeated Italy's Mattia Bellucci (No. 95).

The Argentine native will have until tomorrow to fine-tune his game and aim for a better performance on Saturday. Three Argentines will be in the men's singles draw, including Marco Trungelliti, Tomás Etcheverry, and Mariano Navone. This ensures at least one Argentine will advance to the fourth round of the last Grand Slam of the year.

In the women's singles draw, Nadia Podoroska lost to world No. 8 Iga Swiatek of Poland, 6-3, 6-2, leaving no more Argentine representatives in the women's draw.