Francisco Cerúndolo moved into the second round of Roland Garros 2026 on Monday, beating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-4 in a demanding first-round match on the Paris clay.
The 26th-ranked Cerúndolo, who was meeting the world No. 55, said afterward that he felt fine physically throughout the contest and that the match lasted about 3 hours and 40 minutes. He added that he would have preferred to close it out in three sets to save energy in a Grand Slam, but said he was also happy to come through difficult moments under pressure.
That win was part of a strong Argentine start to the tournament. Mariano Navone also advanced after beating Jenson Brooksby in three sets, while Camilo Ugo Carabelli defeated Emilio Nava in three. By the end of the first two days in Paris, seven Argentine tennis players had already taken to the clay, and only Tomás Martín Etcheverry had gone out among them. Solana Sierra was also among the Argentines to appear in those opening matches.
The broader picture is hard to miss: Argentine tennis has made itself a major presence at Roland Garros 2026 from the outset. Cerúndolo's result added another piece to that start, and it came in a match that tested him far more than the scoreline might suggest. He said the physical side held up, but the tense stretches and long duration left him with the kind of work that often matters most in a major tournament — not just winning, but surviving the first test with enough left for what comes next.
For Cerúndolo, the next round will show whether that resilience carries deeper into the draw. For Argentina, the opening two days have already delivered enough results to keep the country's presence on the Paris clay in focus.
