Francisco Cerundolo tops Alexander Zverev for second year running in Madrid, now 3-0 in H2H

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev came into the Mutua Madrid Open with a confidence-boosting triumph in Munich.

But on Tuesday, the top seed dropped to 4-4 in ATP Masters 1000 events this year. Francisco Cerundolo added a second season win over the German (Buenos Aires), improving to 3-0 in the pair’s head-to-head series with a 7-5, 6-3 victory inside Manolo Santana Stadium.

Read More: It's the most wide open clay season on the ATP Tour in 20 years

The Argentine upped his 2025 record to 23-9, adding to his 1000-level quarterfinal showings at Indian Wells and Miami. By knocking out Zverev, Cerundolo has already matched his Top 10-win total from 2024 with four. Of significance, his first Top 10 scalp last year came against Zverev in this very round of Madrid.

“I was saying it in Spanish before, I'm seeing that the draw is wide open, I think, not this one, but every one,” Cerundolo shared in his press conference.

“The draws are super tough also, every match is a war, and you have to play good tennis to beat anyone.”

Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik awaits in the last eight. The Czech earlier became the fifth male teenager to make the last eight here when he eased past Alexander Bublik, 6-3, 6-2.

As Zverev heads into Rome to prepare for his Internazionali BNL d’Italia title defense, the past few months will ultimately go down as a golden opportunity lost to summit the top of the rankings. With Jannik Sinner—the rival who beat him in January’s Australian Open final—sitting out to serve a three-month suspension stemming from his case agreement with WADA and now due to return next week, Zverev went 13-7 across six events. Five of those wins came at last week’s BMW Open.

The draws are super tough also, every match is a war, and you have to play good tennis to beat anyone. Francisco Cerundolo

That said, Zverev felt there was a key difference with his latest defeat compared to the previous ones. The other side of the net was simply too good on the day.

“I don't think I played terrible. Before Munich when I was losing, I was losing because of me, I was losing because I was playing bad and I was missing and I was maybe not brave enough and some of this. I cannot really say that today,” Zverev told press. “Maybe I played one bad game at 6-5 in the first set, but this is one game per match, you know, this can happen.

“But all in all, I feel like my game is improving, and I feel like there is not too much wrong with my game. I just feel like that today my opponent was better than me, and this can happen in sport.”

Of the seven scheduled clay-court events this spring at the ATP 500 level or higher, the first four are now guaranteed to present different champions. Monte Carlo title holder Carlos Alcaraz withdrew ahead of his opening Madrid match with an adductor injury and Barcelona winner Holger Rune retired down a set to Flavio Cobolli.