Cerúndolo unveils the key to emerge victorious from his epic duel with Landaluce

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Juan Manuel Cerúndolo continues to be one of the main protagonists of Roland Garros 2026. The Argentine advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Martín Landaluce in an epic match lasting almost six hours, a battle that became the longest in the tournament's history since the introduction of the super tie-break in the fifth set.

The left-handed player from Buenos Aires, who had already grabbed the spotlight after benefiting from Jannik Sinner's withdrawal in the previous round, once again showed tremendous physical and mental resilience to survive an intense match. After the clash, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo reflected on the emotional rollercoaster of playing such a long match, discussed the impact his tournament is having, analyzed his particular playing style, and also mentioned Matteo Berrettini, his next opponent in Paris.

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo explains the key to his success at Roland Garros 2026

A nearly six-hour battle against Landaluce

"Truth be told, it was an extremely long and very challenging match. These are rare encounters because you don't normally play matches of this duration. Obviously, I had opportunities to close it out earlier, but I always try to stay very focused point by point."

"When you're ahead and the match drags on, many thoughts start crossing your mind. You think that if you don't win now, perhaps you'll have to play another hour, two hours, or even four hours more. It's very stressful to think that way for such a long time. That's why I try to focus solely on the next point and accept that the result will come when it has to come."

"During six hours, everything happens to you. There are moments when you play automatically, others when you get frustrated, then you're happy, later relaxed. It's truly a madness because emotionally so many things occur."

From Sinner's retirement to the round of 16

"I'm super happy to be in the round of 16. I work very hard to be able to reach rounds like this."

"I've already talked quite a bit about the Sinner match these days. Obviously, I was close to losing that match, but I also had opportunities to win it earlier. Now something similar happened because the match against Landaluce was also very tough and evenly matched."

"The truth is that all matches are difficult. When you reach these stages in a Grand Slam, any opponent can beat you if you're not a hundred percent."

How he has managed all the tournament's attention

"It wasn't easy to handle all the talk after the Sinner match. Obviously, Jannik was the clear favorite, and everything that happened generated a lot of attention."

"Surely many people were waiting to see what I would do today. There's that feeling that if you beat the number one player in the world and then lose in the next round, there will be a lot of talk about that. But the reality is that each match is a different story."

"I try to focus on my tennis and deal with this situation as calmly as possible. It's obviously an added factor, but it must be accepted and lived with."

A different style from modern tennis

"I think nowadays tennis is very balanced. Everyone serves above 200 kilometers per hour, everyone hits very hard, and everyone is very aggressive."

"Perhaps my style is a bit different. Being left-handed already changes things considerably because there are fewer left-handed players than right-handed ones. Besides, I grew up playing on clay courts and in a more classic way."

"I may not play like most current players, but I always try to improve and add new tools to my game. You have to evolve and adapt, but without losing your identity as a player."

The serve that appeared at the decisive moment

"I definitely served better towards the end of the match. Throughout the tournament, I believe I've been serving stronger and landing many more first serves."

"When you've been playing for five or six hours, there comes a point where you almost stop thinking. You start acting on instinct. In my case, I ended up serving many times out wide because I was tired of thinking about where to direct the serve."

"I preferred to rely on that serve rather than start doubting. It worked well and was one of the keys to closing out the match."

His thoughts on Matteo Berrettini

"I'm not surprised at all that Matteo has been able to recover so quickly after such demanding matches. Nowadays, being thirty years old is still very young."

"Additionally, he has vast experience. He has played important finals, has been among the best in the world, and knows perfectly how to handle these kinds of situations. He may even do it better than me precisely because he has experienced such moments many times. He is a player with a lot of experience, and that always makes a difference in the big tournaments."

The sadness over his brother Francisco's defeat

"I was watching my brother's match from the locker room. It really frustrated me because I thought he was going to win. It was a very tough loss for him. I talked to him after the match, and obviously, he wasn't going through his best moment. I saw that there were some issues during the match, but I also didn't want to delve too much into it."

"I had high expectations for him because I know perfectly the level he has. I'm convinced he will bounce back because in terms of tennis, he is a spectacular player."

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo continues to make the most of his opportunity at Roland Garros 2026. After surviving a historic battle against Martín Landaluce and managing all the attention generated by Jannik Sinner's withdrawal, the Argentine is now among the tournament's top 16 players. A new challenge awaits him against Matteo Berrettini, another high-demand test for one of the great revelations of this Parisian edition.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Cerúndolo desvela la clave para salir victorioso de su épico duelo con Landaluce