Francisco Cerundolo defeats Justin Engel in Almaty | ATP Tour

Match Report

Cerundolo ends 17-year-old Engel’s Almaty run

Fourth seed defeats German wild card in straight sets

October 16, 2024

#NextGenATP 17-year-old Justin Engel made history on Monday at the Almaty Open where he became the first player born in 2007 or later to win an ATP Tour match. But his run at the ATP 250 grinded to a halt on Wednesday when fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo moved past the German wild card 6-4, 7-6(3).

Engel, who defeated Coleman Wong on his tour-level debut, put up a fight against Cerundolo in an absorbing 90-minute clash. He battled back from a break down in the second set to eventually force a tie-break and showed flashes of brilliance, striking 15 winners.

However, Cerundolo was the more consistent, committing nine fewer unforced errors (24-35) in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting to seal his spot in the quarter-finals.

“It is always difficult to play a new guy,” Cerundolo said. “I don’t know how he plays and he is a young guy who has nothing to lose, so he plays freely. I think it was a controlled match from my side on my service games until 5-4 when I served and missed a few easy forehands.

“After that it was difficult to close the match because he started playing really well but luckily I finished it in the tie-break.”