Cerúndolo afterthought a thirsty semifinal in Brussels

The first key to the match was the opening serve: Cerúndolo took control from the first point and settled the first set in under half an hour. The heat on the court was brutal, but the Argentine managed to play with precision and authority.

Francisco Cerúndolo defeated the Frenchman Clément Chidekh 6-2 and 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Brussels. The victory took just an hour and sixteen minutes and put the 21-year-old into his fourth semifinal of the season. He is two wins away from his third title of 2026.

A solid win against Chidekh

Chidekh arrived with two consecutive victories over players ranked in the top 90, but he could not maintain that level against the Porteño. Cerúndolo did not give him many options and finished the first set in less than thirty minutes.

In the second set, the Argentine generated six break opportunities and converted one. His serve was the great difference: seven aces and 88 percent of points won with his first serve. Numbers that explain a clean, controlled victory.

The win also confirms a season with a very high floor. Cerúndolo reached the semifinals in Santiago, Buenos Aires and Queen's before Brussels, and won the last two. He is therefore one of the best-performing Argentine players of 2026.

• Cerúndolo defeated Chidekh 6-2 and 6-4 in one hour and sixteen minutes.
• The Porteño reached his fourth semifinal of the season and is two victories away from his third title.
• He is the only Argentine still in competition this week.
• In the semifinals he could face Tallon Griekspoor or Jirí Lehecka.
• Cerúndolo has one win and no losses against Griekspoor, while he has two losses and no victories against Lehecka.

The semifinal rival is not yet defined. If Griekspoor advances, Cerúndolo will have a favorable historical record: one victory and no defeats. Against Lehecka, the balance is the opposite, with two losses. The court, then, will not be exactly a stroll.

The other Argentines are out. Mariano Navone fell to Griekspoor in the round of sixteen, after beating Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in the first round. Tomás Etcheverry lost on his debut to Mattia Bellucci in Almaty, Facundo Díaz Acosta was eliminated by Nikoloz Basilashvili and Sebastián Báez fell to Pierre-Hugues Herbert in Lyon.

Cerúndolo, meanwhile, is still standing. With the table in his favor and the next rival waiting in Brussels, the question is simple: can the Porteño close the week with his third title of the year?