The US Open opponent of Andy Murray was praised for his 'amazing' sportsmanship following a heartwarming moment at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
With Murray leading 5-4, and Francisco Cerundolo serving to stay in the set, the Scot executed a drop shot only for the Argentinian to seemingly reach it and win a stunning point. Murray then proceeded to wave his arms in bemusement, clearly discontented, and then a big screen replay showed the ball had bounced twice before Cerundolo reached it.
The 24-year-old then showed incredible sportsmanship to voluntarily concede the point. The LTA Twitter account reacted by posting: "Amazing sportsmanship from Cerundolo rewards Andy Murray after a contested call at the US Open." Commentator Mark Petchey, working for Amazon Prime, called it the "moment of the year" while co-commentator Tim Henman labelled it "pure class."
The youngster received a warm round of applause for his gesture, and then fittingly, was able to win the game and stay in the set. It was Murray however, who seized the initiative by breaking again to win it 7-5.
And the reaction on social media was also favourable, with @Covbluenose saying: "Brilliant from the Argentinian. We need more of this in sport." @underarm_ace however, criticised the fact the umpire wasn't able to utilise the technology himself.
"Bonkers that the umpire has no power to overturn their own incorrect decision despite two replays on the big screen," he said. "Good sportsmanship from Cerundolo to concede the point."
The US Open is being shown live on Amazon Prime and the TV station also tweeted to praise the Argentinian: "Sportsmanship 100%. Cerundolo awards the point to Murray after replays showed a double bounce on his volley."
However, the incident is likely to provoke debate around the use of big-screen replays at Flushing Meadows. Despite the inevitable occurrence of incorrect calls being flagged up, match umpires cannot use the slow motion to overturn calls.
Cerundolo is seeded 24th for the tournament after a promising year on the ATP circuit. However, he's yet to win a match at a Grand Slam event.
