Cerúndolo tomó la final por el cuello y Griekspoor se la sacó de un tirón

La jugada clave ocurrió en el octavo game del tercer set. Francisco Cerúndolo metió un revés paralelo, breakeó y quedó 5-3 arriba con el saque en su mano. Era la puerta de entrada a la final de Bruselas, en apariencia. Ahí se le complicó el partido.

Del 6-2 al tie-break

El primer parcial fue casi un paseo. CerúndoloEds breakthrough exhibitions attacked from the baseline and broke twice in succession in the third and fourth games. There was no room for surprises: the 6-2 set a balanced-looking starting point for the round.

Then came a change of script. Griekspoor raised his first-serve percentage, accelerated his forehand and found the decisive break in the eighth game. The second set ended 6-3. The neerlandés had turned the match around without needing to invent anything miraculous. Just tennis, served and timed.

In the deciding set, Cerúndolo showed the best version of his game. His parallel backhand handed him the break that put him 5-3 ahead and one game from the final. At that point, the racket was in his hand and the finish line was close enough to taste.

• Griekspoor broke back immediately.
• Cerúndolo hesitated on his first serve.
• The match went to a tie-break.
• Griekspoor won it 7-4.

But the Argentine started doubting, and doubt is a dangerous opponent on serve. Griekspoor recovered the break at once, took the set to the tie-break and was more precise with his crosscourt shots there. The final was 7-4, with the match decided 2-6, 6-3 and 7-6 (4) in a little over two hours.

“Es una final que se fue por una chance. Igual, el resultado no se cambia: perder un tie-break en(one)())).”Facundo Tamburini, Deportes

Cerúndolo leaves Brussels without a title, but with his position in the top 25 intact. The question now is whether he can reverse this run of missed opportunities or needs a specific adjustment to take the last step. The numbers point to one area: serve under pressure. When he had to close, the first serve became less certain and Griekspoor smelled the chance.

For now, there is no final. Next date: Sunday's match, where Griekspoor will face the winner of the duel between Arthur Fils and Jan-Lennard Struff. The Lion, meanwhile, will have to recalibrate. And yes, it will be useful to remember the way the European final ended: with a set that looked won and became a tie-break in the blink of an eye.