Cerundolo beats Fritz is the result that changed the top half of Saturday’s US Open programme. Francisco Cerundolo recovered from two sets and a break down to beat the No. 9 seed 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The comeback took three hours and 39 minutes. The decisive passage took only two games.
At 3-4 in the fifth set, Cerundolo fell 0/40 behind on serve. Fritz had three chances to move within one service game of the fourth round. Cerundolo saved all three, using three unreturned first serves to get back to deuce before closing the hold.
He broke Fritz immediately afterwards. One hold later, the match was over.
From control to collapse
Fritz had built the position expected of a top-10 player and former US Open finalist. He won the first set 6-3 and the second 6-4. Cerundolo then went a break behind in the third. ATP’s match report states that the Argentine had recovered from two sets down only once before in his career.
The match did not turn through one loose Fritz service game. Cerundolo had to keep the contest alive, find a more stable level and then repeat it across three sets. He took the third 6-3, the fourth 6-4 and the fifth by the same score.
Fritz’s error count helps explain the shift. ATP recorded 54 unforced errors against 41 winners. Cerundolo broke serve six times and found the clearest sequence of his match when the pressure was highest.
That 0/40 hold in the fifth is the clean analytical point. Break points do not decide a match on their own, but three consecutive saves at 3-4 removed Fritz’s best late opening. Cerundolo then attacked the next return game rather than waiting for a tie-break.
What it means for the draw
Cerundolo, the No. 24 seed and current world No. 25, is into the US Open fourth round for the first time. He will face Alexander Blockx for a quarter-final place. That is a direct tournament gain, not simply a notable win for the record.
Fritz leaves the draw in the third round. The world No. 10 had reached the final in New York in 2024 and entered this match as the higher seed. His 2026 US Open title bid is finished despite leading by two sets and a break.
The result also gives the wider men’s draw another early exit by a high seed. Yet the strongest angle remains specific to this match: Cerundolo was one service game from serious trouble, saved three break points and then won the next two games.
The next test
Blockx now stands between Cerundolo and a first US Open quarter-final. The Argentine will take a five-set win and a major recovery into that match, but he will also need to reset after nearly four hours on court.
For Fritz, the immediate analysis is harder. He held the advantage for much of the contest and still lost the last three sets. The verified numbers give no need for drama: 54 unforced errors, six breaks conceded and three missed break points late in the fifth.
Cerundolo stayed in the match long enough to change it. Once the opening arrived, he did not give it back.
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