Argentine Tennis player Francisco Cerundolo cruised into the semi-finals of the Miami Open 2022 on Wednesday after his Italian counterpart Jannik Sinner was forced to retire following painful foot blisters. Cerundolo was leading 4-1 in the first set when Sinner called the match, and let the former advance into the semi-finals of the Miami Open 2022.

Cerundolo is the lowest-ranked men's singles semi-finalist in the tournament history. He was the first player to reach the singles semi-finals on his Masters 1000 debut since Jerzy Janowicz advanced to the final of the Rolex Paris Masters in 2012. The 23-year-old scored superb victories in the tournament as he outplayed players like Tallon Griekspoor, Reilly Opelka (second-set retirement), Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe en route to his quarterfinal match against Sinner.

Post-match, Cerundolo said that he hoped Sinner is better and doing well. "He is an extraordinary player. I greatly admire him. But I didn't know anything about his condition. When I was serving at 3-1, 30/0, I saw him bending down. It was really strange. I didn't see anything wrong. I hope he is okay," said Cerundolo.

I could not move due to blister: Sinner

"In the last game against Nick, I had felt it. And today I tried, but It didn't work. I could not move due to blister. Especially when I slide and when I move, I could feel the pain. When it makes contact with the shoe, it gets tough," Sinner said in his post-match conference.

Jannik Sinner

Cerundolo will want to carry on his fairy tale run when he faces Norway's Casper Ruud in semi-final in Florida. In his previous clash, the Argentine played a nail-biting game against Tiafoe. He hammered forehands and demonstrated great agility as he showcased his hard-court prowess to outlast the American. Cerundolo, who reached his maiden tour-level final in Buenos Aires last year, has enjoyed a strong 2022 campaign, winning an ATP Challenger Tour title on clay before soaring into the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro.

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