Berrettini and Cerundolo win in nail-biting, historic marathon matches at Roland Garros.
The third round of Roland Garros saw dramatic matches lasting over five hours, with Berrettini saving a match point and Cerundolo setting a record for match time in Paris.
This year's Roland Garros is witnessing some real physical test on the clay courts. The spotlight is on Matteo Berrettini and Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who have just overcome matches lasting over five hours to secure their places in the next round.
Berrettini saved two match points in the 5-hour and 13-minute marathon.
Matteo Berrettini demonstrated the prowess of a former Wimbledon runner-up by defeating Francisco Comesana with a score of 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(15-13). This was an emotional return for the Italian player in Paris since 2021.
The 30-year-old faced immense pressure in the decisive tie-break of the fifth set. Berrettini consistently relied on powerful serves at crucial moments and was particularly outstanding in saving two match points at 8/9 and 12/13. After several missed opportunities, the former world number 6 finally capitalized on the fourth match point to close out the second longest match of this year's Roland Garros.
Cerundolo set a record in a match lasting nearly 6 hours.
If Berrettini's match was considered dramatic, then Juan Manuel Cerundolo created an even more classic milestone. After eliminating world number 1 Jannik Sinner in the second round, Cerundolo went on to defeat young Spanish talent Martin Landaluce with a score of 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(10-8) after 5 hours and 57 minutes of play.
Statistically, this was the third longest match in Roland Garros history since data began being recorded in 1996, and the longest since the Match Tie-break format in the deciding set was introduced in 2022. The absolute balance was evident in the statistics: Cerundolo won by a total of 214 points, just one point more than Landaluce (214-213).
Tabilo's experience prevailed over Kouame's youthful energy.
In another development, Alejandro Tabilo halted the inspiring run of young French talent Moise Kouame with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11-9) victory. Kouame, only 17 years old, caused a major upset by eliminating former world number 3 Marin Cilic in the opening round.
Tabilo's experience came to the fore at the right moment as he maintained his composure in the tense tie-break of the fourth set to secure his first-ever Grand Slam fourth-round appearance. This impressive run also helped Cerundolo secure his first-ever Top 50 ATP ranking, climbing 12 places to world number 44.
In the fourth round, Berrettini and Cerundolo will face each other directly. This is predicted to be a highly anticipated match between two players who have just gone through some of the most grueling physical battles of this year's tournament.
