CORDOBA/STARNBERG, March 8, 2025

The AAT Challenger Santander Cordoba is guaranteed to crown an Argentine champion. The four semifinalists of the third ATP Challenger Tour tournament held in Argentina this year are all homegrown talents: Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs. Thiago Tirante and Federico Coria vs. Juan Pablo Ficovich will be the two matchups this Saturday.

World No. 129 Cerundolo, the tournament’s second seed, kicked off Friday’s action on a strong note for the local players, defeating Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-2.

“Today, I really felt like I played a great match. I was very happy with my performance,” said the 23-year-old lefty, comparing it to his round-of-16 victory over Bolivian Murkel Dellien, where he had been more critical of his own level.

Aiming high at home #ATPChallenger | @jmcerundolo | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/EpjODnlzNK

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 7, 2025

Cerundolo, who won the ATP 250 Cordoba title in 2021, will now face a familiar opponent: World No. 134 Thiago Tirante. The La Plata-born player, also from the 2001 generation, defeated fellow Argentine Gonzalo Villanueva 6-4, 6-4. The two have shared a long history, having been teammates on Argentina’s U16 Davis Cup squad in 2017, alongside Alejo Lingua Lavallan and under captain Sebastian Gutierrez, finishing third in the world.

“It’s really special to be playing this tournament together, at home, in Argentina, and at such a late stage in the event,” Tirante said. “I’m very happy for both of us.” The head-to-head between the two stands at 2-0 in favor of Cerundolo, with both victories coming in Rio de Janeiro—one at a Challenger event in 2022 and the most recent just last month at the ATP 500 tournament.

In the top half of the draw, World No. 128 Coria secured his place in the semis by defeating top-ranked Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 0-6, 6-2. The 32-year-old from Santa Fe had to battle through sweltering heat and humidity but ultimately prevailed. At the end of the match, he jokingly admitted to feeling some pressure since the other three semifinalists had already secured their spots—and all of them were fellow Argentines.

“It’s great that the title will stay in Argentina. We all know how much effort it takes to have Challenger events in our country, so it’s amazing that four of us have reached the semifinals,” Coria said. “On one side of the draw, you have two young guys who we’ll be seeing on the biggest stages for the next ten years, and on my side, Juampi and I are just trying to hold off the younger generation for as long as possible.”

His opponent will be World No. 169 Juan Pablo Ficovich, a player he knows all too well. The two have faced each other 13 times on tour, with Coria leading the head-to-head 11-2. “I don’t think I’ve played any other player this many times,” Coria admitted. “Our matches are always tough battles. Hopefully, I can keep my lead in the rivalry until I retire.”

Ficovich had the toughest test of the day, but he overcame it in style, defeating top-seeded Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

“I feel like I’m at the best moment of my career,” said the Berazategui-born player. “The rankings may not show it, as I’ve been higher before, but I feel great physically and mentally. My serve is working really well, and I kept up a strong level throughout the match.”

Reflecting on the venue, Ficovich had fond memories: “I played this same Challenger here ten years ago, in 2014, when I was just 17.” That was the last time the ATP Challenger circuit made a stop in Cordoba—until now.

FRIDAY RESULTS

Quarterfinals – Singles

[2] J. Cerundolo (ARG) d [8] J. Varillas (PER) 64 62
[7] J. Ficovich (ARG) d [1] T. Monteiro (BRA) 63 36 63
[6] F. Coria (ARG) d [3] D. Galan (COL) 61 06 62
[4] [WC] T. Tirante (ARG) d [Q] G. Villanueva (ARG) 64 64

Semifinals – Doubles

[4] F. Romboli (BRA)/M. Soto (CHI) d [2] M. Demoliner (BRA)/G. Escobar (ECU) 67(5) 76(5) 10-3
[3] K. Drzewiecki (POL)/P. Matuszewski (POL) d I. Carou (URU)/J. Cerundolo (ARG) 63 64