Francisco and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo experienced a memorable milestone on Tuesday, as they competed together for the first time in a main-draw ATP Tour doubles match and immediately produced a surprising result at the Australian Open.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Playing on Court No. 12 at Melbourne Park, the Argentine brothers defeated the eighth-seeded pairing of Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) and Hugo Nys (Monaco) with a score of 6–4, 2–6, 6–3. The victory came against opponents who are firmly established among the world’s elite doubles players.
The significance of the win becomes clearer when considering the rankings. Francisco Cerúndolo is positioned outside the top 300 in the doubles rankings, while Juan Manuel Cerúndolo is ranked around No. 800. In contrast, Roger-Vasselin and Nys occupy places inside the top 20 globally, highlighting the magnitude of the upset.
The match lasted two hours and 13 minutes and marked only the sixth time the Cerúndolo brothers have partnered competitively. Their previous collaborations were limited to Challenger and ITF-level events, with their last appearance together dating back to the 2021 Challenger tournament in Cordenons. Despite the lack of recent experience as a team, they managed to overcome one of the strongest pairs in the draw.