Rublev Falls in Australian Open Third Round to Cerundolo in Upset

Cerundolo Dominates Rublev, Sets Up Dream Clash with Zverev in Australian Open Fourth Round

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 23/01/2026 à 11h03

2 min to read

Cerundolo Francisco Open d'Australie Rublev Andrey

A great matchup was on the schedule in Melbourne this Friday. Andrey Rublev faced Francisco Cerundolo for the fifth time. The Argentine is an opponent who often causes problems for the Russian, having won three of their four previous encounters.

The world No. 21 had beaten Zhang Zhizhen and Damir Dzumhur in straight sets in his first two matches. On the other side, Rublev, ranked 15th in the ATP, had dominated Matteo Arnaldi and Jaime Faria to reach the fourth round.

But this match, which could have been seen as tight, quickly turned in Cerundolo's favor. A break at the end of the first set was enough to win it, and he was more solid in the second-set tiebreak to pull ahead on the scoreboard.

Cerundolo Awaits Zverev in the Fourth Round

Despite an early break lead in the third set, Rublev was too far behind to turn things around. Cerundolo confirms his strong start to the tournament (6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in 2h08) and qualifies for the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time in his career, all without dropping a set.

He could face an old acquaintance in Alexander Zverev. The German, who is playing Cameron Norrie, doesn't particularly like facing the Argentine, who leads their head-to-head 3-2.

In the meantime, Cerundolo can let his joy show, and he will play to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time, having already lost two fourth-round matches at Roland Garros (2023 and 2024).