Cerundolo fires up his campaign for glory as he battles past Nakashima in a thrilling semi-final showdown at Queen's Club, booking his place in Sunday's championship match with a hard-fought 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 victory. The Argentine's resilience and adaptability proved to be the decisive factors as he weathered the storm of Nakashima's blistering start to snatch control of the match.
The opening set was an edge-of-your-seat affair, with Nakashima conjuring up a tie-break triumph after Cerundolo had pushed him to the limit. But the Argentine refused to be intimidated, breaking Nakashima's serve early in the second set and pinning his colours firmly to the mast as he took control of proceedings.
This was the turning point – from that moment on, Cerundolo seized every opportunity, reaping the rewards with a decisive break in the third set to send Nakashima packing. And though Nakashima gave it everything he had, it just wasn't his day, undone by Cerundolo's relentless baseline play and the sheer force of his forehand.
This is a momentous occasion for Cerundolo – his first Queen's Club final on grass represents a seismic shift in his fortunes as a player. For so long associated with his clay-court prowess, he has consistently surprised with his adaptability this week, sending out a clear message to the tennis world: watch this man at Wimbledon.
Nakashima will no doubt rue what might have been – but credit where it's due, he's had an outstanding tournament on grass. Now, as he sets sights firmly on Wimbledon, he'll be licking his wounds and looking to build on the solid foundations laid here at Queen's Club.