rio de janeiro
Top seed Serendolo retires in Rio due to injury
Tirant advances to quarter-finals
February 19, 2026
Rio Open hosted by Claro
Francisco Cerundolo was forced to withdraw from his match against Thiago Agustin Tirant in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.
Written by ATP Staff
Argentinian Thiago Augustin Tirant led compatriot and top seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 3-1 in the second round of the Rio Open in Claro on Wednesday night when Cerundolo withdrew with a back injury.
Cerundolo, fresh off a hometown title win at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, got off to a good start with a straight-sets win over Mariano Navone at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. But he failed to finish against Tirant.
“It’s not nice to win like this, especially with Fran, one of my friends. At any time, I didn’t see anything coming,” Tillante said. “I know he was tired last week, so I have to improve myself on the court and focus on myself.”
After the second set, Serendolo requested a visit from a physical therapist and received treatment for his back. But that didn’t keep him going much longer.
Tirant hit an ace to go up 3-1 – his seventh ace of the match, according to Infosys ATP statistics – and Cerundolo barely moved the ball. The top seed then approached the net, shook hands with his friend and exited.
Tirant will next face Francisco Passaro or Alejandro Tabilo.
