Cerundolo Defeats Hanfmann in Hamburg Opener
Francisco Cerundolo started his Hamburg campaign with a hard-fought victory over Yannick Hanfmann in the first round.
The Argentine needed two hours and 38 minutes to overcome the German 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Monday.
Cerundolo, seeded fifth in Hamburg, will face either qualifier Daniel Altmaier or lucky loser Norbert Gombos in the second round.
Hanfmann, who was making his first appearance in Hamburg since 2019, came into the match in good form, having won the Challenger title in Heilbronn last week.
However, he was unable to maintain that level against Cerundolo, who is ranked 24th in the world.
Cerundolo broke Hanfmann's serve three times in the first set, but the German fought back in the second, breaking Cerundolo twice to level the match.
The third set was a tight affair, with both players holding serve until the 10th game.
Cerundolo finally broke Hanfmann's serve to love at 5-4, and he served out the match to seal the victory.
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