Ymer falls to Cerúndolo in Stockholm as Borg and Dahlin wait

The Swedish challenge at the Stockholm Open got off to a disappointing start. Wild card Elias Ymer lost in the first round on Sunday, beaten 6-1, 7-6(4) by Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerúndolo at the Kungliga tennishallen.

That leaves Leo Borg and Max Dahlin as the last home hopes in the singles draw, and both play their opening matches on Monday.

Cerúndolo too strong early on

There was a big ranking gap between the two players. Ymer came in at No. 245 in the world and Cerúndolo at No. 54, and that difference was obvious in the first set, which the Argentine won 6-1.

Ymer improved in the second set and stayed with Cerúndolo all the way to a tie-break. Cerúndolo then won it 7-4 to complete a straight-sets victory.

The result is a step backwards for Ymer compared with 12 months ago, when he reached the quarter-finals at the same tournament.

Borg and Dahlin carry home hopes

Max Dahlin, who is ranked well outside the top 700, faces a tough first-round test against fifth seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry of Argentina. If he pulls off an upset, another Argentine, Thiago Agustín Tirante, is waiting in the second round.

Leo Borg, son of five-time Wimbledon champion Björn Borg, plays later in the evening session on a wild card. His opponent is Britain's Toby Samuel, who came through qualifying by beating Swedish wild card Karl Friberg and then top qualifying seed Adrian Mannarino. Whoever wins will play third seed Lorenzo Musetti next.

Musetti comes to Stockholm in good form. He won the Lyon title two weeks ago and then beat world No. 1 Alexander Zverev in Paris last week.

Fritz and Ruud head a strong field

Taylor Fritz is the top seed and has won 13 indoor matches this season, more than anyone else on tour. He is chasing a second title of the year after his win in Washington.

WTAVan Assche pulls out of Stockholm and ends season after Paris run

Defending champion Casper Ruud is seeded second. Last year he lost just one set on his way to the title, and he arrives fresh from a semi-final run at the Paris Masters. The Norwegian is still looking for his first title of 2026.

Another name to watch is Holger Rune, who won in Stockholm in 2022. The Dane is back on tour after 11 months out with a severe Achilles injury that needed surgery.

Sunday's other main-draw match ended in a win for Tirante over Jaume Munar, and that set up the possible second-round meeting with Dahlin. Five Swedish players are also still involved in the doubles event, spread across three pairs. On Monday evening, the home crowd will be watching to see whether Dahlin or Borg can keep a Swede in the singles draw.