Francisco Cerúndolo Lifts Queen’s Title After Marathon Final

Francisco Cerúndolo produced a defining performance on the grass at Queen’s Club, coming through the longest final in the tournament’s history to claim the biggest title of his career.

It was a win made all the more special by timing. His parents had flown in from Argentina only hours before the match, just managing to arrive in London in time to witness their son’s breakthrough moment, despite his father’s long-standing fear of flying.

For Cerúndolo, it was a first taste of success above ATP 250 level, and at one point it looked like the wait would go on. He fell a set behind and also dropped an early break to American Tommy Paul, who himself knew what it was like to lift the trophy at Queen’s.

But the momentum shifted in a marathon contest lasting three hours and two minutes. By the end, Cerúndolo had fought his way back to seal a 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 victory, collapsing to the court in celebration after finally getting over the line.

Afterwards, he reflected on the tight travel window his family had been working with:

“They took the plane yesterday evening. I knew they were landing in London around 14:30 [BST],” he said.

“I knew if the match is short, they wouldn’t arrive to the tournament but if the match was longer, maybe they could.”

Even then, there was no certainty his father would actually be in the stands at all.

“My dad has a phobia of planes. Since I was born, I never travelled with him and he never came to watch me in tournaments,” he said.

“Last year he started taking therapy and trying to approach his fear.

“Last week, he was saying ‘I will go to the grass season’. He always loved London and always loved grass, and he never came.

“Me, my brother and my sister were saying ‘OK dad, until you are on the plane we don’t believe you’.”

During the match itself, Cerúndolo did not realise his parents had made it in time, but the celebrations afterwards became a family moment, with the trophy lifted alongside them for photos.

Throughout the week, the Argentine had become one of the standout favourites with the Queen’s crowd, earning support through heavy forehands and a relentless refusal to give in. A Diego Maradona shirt placed in his player box served as a constant source of motivation.

It was also a draining run to the title. Four of his five matches went to deciding sets, with Cerúndolo spending 11 hours and 33 minutes on court across six days.

The victory adds a second grass-court title to his record, having previously beaten Paul in the Eastbourne final in 2023.

For Paul, there was disappointment at missing out on defending his Queen’s crown after injury ruled him out last year. He looked visibly deflated as Cerúndolo celebrated on Andy Murray Arena, but still found time to congratulate his opponent.

“I want to congratulate Francisco and your team. We always seem to have unreal matches and today you were the better player so I am happy for you. Congrats,” Paul said.