Francisco Cerúndolo kept Argentina’s strong Madrid Open run alive Monday, defeating Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3 to reach the last 16 of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The 27-year-old Argentine, ranked No. 20 in the world and currently the top Latin American player in the ATP rankings, produced a controlled performance on the clay at La Caja Mágica. Cerúndolo broke down Darderi early and never allowed the Italian to settle into the match.
His win came one day after fellow Argentine Tomás Etcheverry also advanced, giving Argentina two players in the men’s fourth round in Madrid. Cerúndolo, the No. 16 seed, will next face Belgium’s Alexander Blockx for a place in the quarterfinals. Blockx advanced by upsetting Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime, with the ATP confirming that the 20-year-old Belgian will meet Cerúndolo in the next round.
Argentina had less fortune in the women’s draw. Solana Sierra, ranked No. 88, was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the round of 16. The Czech player, now ranked No. 197, moved into her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal on clay since 2021. Despite the defeat, Sierra leaves Madrid with one of the best weeks of her young career. The 21-year-old from Mar del Plata matched her deepest run at a major-level tournament, equaling the last-16 appearance she produced at Wimbledon last year.
Her Madrid performance is also expected to lift her sharply in the rankings. Live ranking projections showed Sierra rising 17 spots after her run to the round of 16. For Latin American tennis, the day brought a split result: Cerúndolo continued his push toward the later rounds of one of the clay season’s biggest events, while Sierra’s breakthrough week ended with signs of clear progress.
