Don’t be fooled by the “lucky loser” distinction by Yannick Hanfmann’s name; this should be one of the best matches of the entire second round.
Hanfmann lost in the final round of a qualifying, but he capitalized on his luck by beating fellow clay-court guru Thiago Monteiro in a five-set thriller on Tuesday night. The 31-year-old German is now 13-7 on the main tour this season, which includes a recent quarterfinal run in Rome.
Still, a slight edge goes to Cerundolo. The Argentine is No. 23 in the world and he beat Jaume Munar in four relatively routine sets in the first round, so he is more rested than Hanfmann. Cerundolo also leads the head-to-head series 2-0 (both matches on clay), although their 2023 Buenos Aires encounter went to 7-5 in the third set.
Pick: Cerundolo in 5
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