Buse beat Cerundolo 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 at Winston Salem, taking a tight opener in a tie-break before reasserting control in the decider. The steadier serve carried Buse through: he put 65% of first serves in play and won 65% of those points, while Cerundolo, despite six aces, could not match that consistency.
Cerundolo made the stronger start, breaking twice in the first three games for 3-0, but Buse pulled one back at 3-1 and levelled with a break at 5-5 before taking the tie-break. In the second set, Cerundolo broke for 2-0, Buse cut the gap at 3-2, and Cerundolo went 4-2 up; Buse broke at 5-4, only to be broken immediately as Cerundolo levelled the match 6-4. The decider was Buse's: he broke in the third game for 2-1 and again in the fifth for 4-1 before serving it out.
The standout number was Buse's first-serve efficiency: 65% in play, 65% won, against Cerundolo's 53% in and 57% won. That, plus six breaks to five and a 96-89 edge in total points, decided a match in which both players won eight service games.