On Miami’s faster hard courts, Francisco Cerundolo is thriving again

WATCH: Francisco Cerundolo defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime in the 2023 Miami Open fourth round

MIAMI, Fla.—What a difference a change of surface makes: This is an observation that players normally make when they transition between tennis’ hard, clay and grass courts throughout the season. But during this year’s Sunshine Swing, players are noticing the difference too, after competing at the BNP Paribas Open’s notoriously slow hard courts before arriving at the livelier and faster Miami Open.

Francisco Cerundolo, last year’s semifinalist from Argentina, is one of the players who has been raving about the courts—and his results are speaking for themselves. After falling to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round of Indian Wells two weeks ago, he got his revenge in Miami with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over the No. 5 seed on Monday.

“This is one of the biggest victories in my career, without a doubt,” Cerundolo told press. “It’s my third Top 10 victory, after Rublev and Ruud, and also it’s my first Top 10 win on hard courts. So already I’ll put it among the best three matches I’ve ever played in my career and won.

“It brings me a lot of confidence to be able to win a match like this, and I think I needed it. I won some good matches this year, sure, but I haven’t reached the level that I achieved last year. I think that’s the key to keep things flowing well at this high level.”

Although his favorite surface is clay, Cerundolo has found his biggest success to date in Miami, where last year he defeated Reilly Opelka (ret.), Gael Monfils, Frances Tiafoe and Jannik Sinner (ret.) before falling to Casper Ruud in his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

When asked to compare the court speeds across Indian Wells and Miami, the world No. 31 highlighted the faster courts at Hard Rock Stadium—which he says feel even faster than at last year’s event.

“Last year, it was much slower than this year. Everything, [it feels like] two different tournaments,” he explained. “I think my game is really good here. Hopefully I can play just as well or better tomorrow.”

One year on from his big breakthrough, Cerundolo has firmly settled into life in the Top 50. The 24-year-old lifted his first ATP Tour trophy over the summer in Bastad—knocking out top seed Ruud along the way—and peaked at No. 22 in the rankings.

This week, he has been enjoying everything Miami has to offer—including a chance to rub elbows with Argentina’s biggest stars at Hard Rock Stadium. So far, he has snagged selfies with basketball Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili and rapper Khea.

“I really enjoy Miami, it’s a very fun and beautiful city. You can go to the beach, you can go shopping, you can do anything here,” he grinned. “I have a lot of friends here, and there are a lot of Argentine people here.

“I feel very relaxed here, and I enjoy this tournament a lot. It’s a great combination for me.”

No. 25 seed Cerundolo will take on world No. 59 Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday evening for a place in the Miami Open quarterfinals.