Francisco Cerundolo Suggests Rio Open Organizers are Favoring Joao Fonseca After Retiring in the Round of 16

Francisco Cerundolo's retirement means there's no top 20 player left in the Rio Open draw.

Francisco Cerundolo Suggests Rio Open Organizers are Favoring Joao Fonseca After Retiring in the Round of 16

Joao Fonseca and Francisco Cerundolo (via X/Univers Tennis)

In Short
  • Francisco Cerundolo expressed dissatisfaction with the scheduling of his matches at the Rio Open, suggesting favoritism towards Joao Fonseca.
  • Cerundolo retired from his second-round match against Thiago Agustín Tirante due to a wrist injury after a demanding schedule.
  • Both Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi, the top-seeded players, are now out of the tournament, leaving Fonseca as a leading contender.

Francisco Cerundolo has admitted that he’s unhappy with how his matches at the Rio Open were scheduled. The Argentine No.1 also suggested that the tournament organizers were prioritizing Joao Fonseca to win the event, which led to them giving him a poor schedule at the ATP 500 tournament in Brazil.

Cerundolo claimed the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires last week after beating Italian star Luciano Darderi in the final. The memorable victory left the World No.19 in tears as he had finished as a runner-up last year after losing to Fonseca. He arrived in Brazil for the Rio Open late due to his victory celebration in Buenos Aires on Sunday (February 15).

The Argentine star was the top seed at the Rio Open and one of the favorites to win the tournament. However, Fonseca had crashed out in the second round of the Argentina Open, so he arrived in Rio in a bid to get back to winning ways. He opened his campaign at the event with a straight-sets victory over fellow compatriot Thiago Monteiro.

Cerundolo played on Wednesday (February 18), just a day after Fonseca’s victory, and was down 2-6, 1-3 against Thiago Agustín Tirante before retiring from the match. He was on a five-match winning streak before the loss and was struggling with a wrist injury during the game. Cerundolo, being the only top 20 player at the tournament, means Fonseca now has a chance of winning the Rio Open.

During his post-match press conference, Cerundolo confirmed he requested to play his second round match on Thursday (February 19), but it was declined by the organizers. Meaning he had to take on Tirante 24 hours after winning his first round match, while Fonseca had a day off between opening two matches. He pointed out that the schedule was set to favor Fonseca from the beginning:

I didn’t expect to have to play two consecutive matches yesterday and today. I had asked not to be scheduled like that, but I wasn’t given a choice. I already know who they’re prioritizing… A lot of matches, a lot of wear and tear, your body can play tricks on you. I was a bit exhausted.

Cerundolo defeated fellow Argentine star Marion Navone in the first round of the Rio Open. Meanwhile, Tirante will face the winner between Alejandro Tabilo and Italian lucky loser Francesco Passaro in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Rio, Brazil. Tabilo defeated Fonseca in the second round of the Argentina Open.

Francisco Cerundolo reveals what made him retire from his second-round match at the Rio Open

Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi, the two top-seeded players at the Rio Open, are already out of the tournament. As it currently stands, the only seeded players remaining in the draw are Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Joao Fonseca, with half of the second round matches yet to be played.

Francisco Cerundolo (via X/Madrid Open)
Francisco Cerundolo (via X/Madrid Open)

Cerundolo was projected to face Fonseca in the semi-finals of the tournament, which would have been a rematch of the 2025 Argentina Open final. During the aforementioned press conference, the Argentine star noted that the wrist injury he sustained during his second-round match prevented him from playing well:

It hurt my right waist a little, it didn’t prevent me from playing, but it was very difficult to move sideways. When you’re not 100% physically, it gets very difficult, you can lose to anyone. I made a request (to play on Thursday), but they didn’t give me a chance.

In the doubles, Cerundolo has also dropped out. He and his compatriot Francisco Comesana were meant to face Germans Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner in the first round of the doubles category. Cerundolo will hope to recover from his injury before the Acapulco Open.

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