The Rio Open lost its top seed and title favorite on Thursday when Francisco Cerundolo retired with a back injury while trailing qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-2, 3-1 in the Round of 16 — throwing the ATP 500 tournament wide open with no clear favorite remaining.
Cerundolo’s withdrawal marked the first time since 2022 that Rio’s top seed failed to reach the quarter-finals, and left the draw vulnerable to a surprise champion. With the Argentine out, the path has cleared for dark horses like Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse and veteran Italian Matteo Berrettini, who both advanced with comeback victories.
Tournament-Shaping Withdrawal
Francisco Cerundolo, who entered Rio as the betting favorite after a 12-2 clay-court record this season, grimaced through the opening set before calling for the trainer at 3-1 down in the second. After medical treatment failed to ease his lower back pain, the 23-year-old Argentine shook hands with Tirante and retired from the match.
“I felt something pull in my back during the warm-up,” Cerundolo said post-match. “I tried to push through, but by the second set I couldn’t serve properly. It’s disappointing, but I have to think long-term about the clay season ahead.”
The withdrawal hands 20-year-old qualifier Tirante his first ATP quarter-final appearance and removes the highest-ranked player from a suddenly unpredictable draw.
Round of 16 Results Summary
Matteo Berrettini rallied from a set down to defeat Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, showing the aggressive baseline play that once carried him to a Wimbledon final. The Italian’s 18 aces and 34 winners overwhelmed Lajovic in the final two sets.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry controlled Vilius Gaubas 7-6(4), 6-4 in a match that featured 47 combined unforced errors. The Argentine broke serve three times and saved 4 of 5 break points faced.
Jaime Faria dismantled Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 7-6(3), firing 11 aces and winning 82% of first-serve points. The Portuguese youngster needed just 92 minutes to advance.
Alejandro Tabilo survived a grueling 2-hour, 47-minute battle with Francesco Passaro, recovering from 4-6 down to win 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. The Chilean converted 6 of 12 break point opportunities in the comeback.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo outlasted Yannick Hanfmann in a three-set marathon 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. The Argentine saved three match points in the second-set tiebreak before sealing victory after 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Vit Kopriva continued his solid clay-court form by defeating Alberto Barroso Campos 6-3, 6-4, extending his winning streak on the surface to seven matches.
Ignacio Buse stunned home crowd favorite Joao Fonseca 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the upset of the round. The Peruvian qualifier, who had never won an ATP main-draw match before this week, silenced the partisan Brazilian crowd with clutch serving in the deciding set, saving 3 break points at 5-5 before breaking Fonseca’s serve to close out the match.
By the Numbers
Match Duration Leaders:
- Longest: Tabilo vs Passaro (2h 47min)
- Second: Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Hanfmann (2h 38min)
Serving Statistics:
- Most Aces: Berrettini (18)
- Highest 1st Serve %: Faria (82%)
- Most Breaks of Serve: Tabilo vs Passaro (9 total breaks)
Upset Alert:
Buse’s victory over Fonseca (#30 ATP) marked the biggest ranking upset of the tournament. The Peruvian, ranked #147, had lost all three previous meetings against Top 50 opponents before Thursday’s breakthrough.
Quarter-Finals Schedule (All Times CET)
Friday, February 21:
- 20:00 — Vit Kopriva vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo
- 21:30 — Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Jaime Faria
- 23:00 — Ignacio Buse vs Matteo Berrettini
Early Saturday, February 22:
- 00:30 — Thiago Agustin Tirante vs Alejandro Tabilo
What to Watch: Quarter-Final Storylines
Buse vs Berrettini is the headline matchup. The Peruvian qualifier faces his toughest test yet against the former world No. 6, who appears to be rounding into form after injury struggles. Berrettini’s 18 aces against Lajovic suggest his serve is firing, but Buse has already proven he thrives as an underdog.
Etcheverry vs Faria profiles as a physical baseline battle between two clay-court specialists. Etcheverry holds the experience edge, but 22-year-old Faria’s 11-ace performance showed he can dominate with his serve.
Kopriva vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo will test rally tolerance and patience. Both players excel at defensive baseline tennis, suggesting a long, grinding encounter on the Rio clay.
Tirante vs Tabilo is the midnight special — and features the man who benefited from Francisco Cerundolo’s withdrawal against the crafty Chilean lefty who has won seven straight matches dating back to qualifying.
Historical Context
With Francisco Cerundolo out, Rio has lost its top seed before the semi-finals for the first time since 2022, when Carlos Alcaraz withdrew with injury. That year, Diego Schwartzman went on to win the title as the third seed.
Ignacio Buse’s run also fits a recent trend: qualifiers have reached the Rio semi-finals in three of the last four editions. If the Peruvian defeats Berrettini, he would become Peru’s first ATP 500 semi-finalist since Luis Horna in 2004.
Title Race Wide Open
With the top seed gone and no player ranked inside the Top 25 remaining, the Rio Open is poised for a breakthrough champion. Etcheverry (#28 ATP) is now the highest-ranked player left, followed by Berrettini (#39) and Faria (#41).
The winner in Rio will claim 500 ranking points and significant momentum heading into the key South American clay swing, which continues next week in Buenos Aires and then shifts to the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
Related Rio coverage
Catch up from the start of the week in Rio: Rio Open 2026: results since Monday to Wednesday + what’s next on Thursday
Quarter-finals are now complete — here’s the latest: Rio Open ATP 500: QFs complete – Tabilo and Buse set up a historic Pacific semi-final.
Tournament Winner:
🏆 Tomás Martín Etcheverry claimed the Rio Open 2026 title, defeating Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 after an epic 7-hour Sunday. Full final recap →