Francisco Cerundolo’s hopes of winning the Rio Open ended on Wednesday when he retired from his match against Thiago Tirante.
Cerundolo, the top seed in Rio, pulled out of the contest while trailing Tirante 2-6 1-3.
After the contest, Cerundolo bemoaned the schedule, claiming that he had made a scheduling request which was denied by the tournament.
He told reporters in Rio: “I didn’t expect to have to play two matches back-to-back between yesterday and today.
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“I made the request so they wouldn’t schedule me like this, but they didn’t give me even a single chance. I can already imagine who they prioritize…”
Cerundolo, seeded first in Rio, was seemingly hinting at an apparent prioritisation of Joao Fonseca and the Brazilian contingent.
The Rio Open have now issued a response.
The Rio Open refutes Francisco Cerundolo’s scheduling claim
In a post on the Rio Open Instagram story, a spokesperson for the tournament said: “The Rio Open clarifies that there was no request from the mentioned athlete to the organisation of the tournament.
“We emphasise that all decisions are made in accordance with ATP protocols and guidelines, with total transparency.
“Our commitment is always to balance the needs of athletes, the public and national and international TV broadcasting, ensuring that all procedures follow clear and unbiassed rules.”
With Cerundolo absent from the tournament, Joao Fonseca has a golden opportunity to win his third ATP Tour title.
If Fonseca does lift the title on Sunday, the triumph will follow on from victories at the 2025 Buenos Aires Open and Swiss Indoors event.
Fonseca is due to face Ignacio Buse in the round of 16. If Fonseca emerges victorious, he will play Matteo Berrettini or Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals.
Fonseca could play Alejandro Tabilo if he reaches the semi-finals. Tabilo, of Chile, recently stunned Fonseca in his opening match at the Buenos Aires Open.
How many ATP points will Cerundolo lose?
In 2025, Francisco Cerundolo reached the Rio Open quarter-finals after defeating Hugo Gaston and Luciano Darderi. In the last eight, he was defeated by Alexandre Muller, who went on to win the title.
As a result, the Argentine star earned 100 ATP ranking points.
Following his round of 16 result at this year’s event, Cerundolo is set to lose 50 ranking points.
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Fortunately for Cerundolo, he will most likely maintain his world number 19 ranking, as no player immediately below him in the rankings – including Flavio Cobolli and Luciano Darderi – are able to overtake him this week.
As for Fonseca, he can immediately improve upon his performance from last year’s event if he defeats Ignacio Buse on Thursday.
