Elmer Moller was handed a harsh clay-court lesson as he exited the second round of the Chile Open in Santiago, falling 6-2, 6-2 to top seed Francisco Cerundolo.

World number 19 Cerúndolo proved far too strong for the 22-year-old Dane, who is ranked 127th, dominating from the baseline and exposing the areas of Moller’s game that remain a work in progress — particularly his serve.

Moller had earned the biggest win of his career in the opening round by defeating Cerúndolo’s compatriot Roman Andres Burruchaga, but stepping up against one of the tour’s most accomplished clay-courters was a different challenge altogether.

The Dane started brightly, holding serve comfortably in the opening game. However, Cerúndolo — who received a first-round bye — quickly found his rhythm, reeling off five consecutive games and breaking Moller twice with minimal resistance. Although Moller briefly stemmed the tide by narrowing the gap to 5-2, Cerúndolo calmly served out the set in just 29 minutes.

The Argentine’s control continued into the second set, where he secured an immediate break. Moller looked more settled in longer rallies and showed flashes of resilience, but he was unable to generate a single break point opportunity. Cerúndolo struck again on return before efficiently closing out the match to book his place in the quarter-finals.

For Moller, the defeat marks the end of a promising week in Santiago, while Cerúndolo underlined his credentials as one of the leading clay-court players on the ATP Tour.