- World Number One Sinner Crashes Out of French Open
Jannik Sinner suffered a dramatic second-round exit at the French Open after squandering a two-set lead and struggling physically in a stunning 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Thursday in Paris.
The world number one arrived at Roland Garros as the overwhelming favourite to claim his first French Open title and complete a career Grand Slam, particularly after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew through injury and Novak Djokovic continued to search for his best form.
For much of the contest, Sinner looked set for a routine victory. The Italian dominated the opening two sets with clinical baseline hitting and appeared firmly in control when he surged to a 5-1 lead in the third set under sweltering conditions, with temperatures climbing above 30 degrees Celsius.
But the match turned dramatically as Sinner began showing signs of physical distress.
Serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, the four-time Grand Slam champion suddenly halted play and later told an official he felt dizzy and nauseous.
After taking a medical timeout, Sinner returned to court but immediately lost momentum. Cerundolo broke back for 5-5 before winning the next two games to steal the third set and drag himself back into the contest.
The Argentine, ranked 56th in the world, sensed his opportunity and never looked back.
As Sinner increasingly struggled physically and clutched at his right thigh, Cerundolo remained composed, extended rallies and forced errors from the exhausted top seed.
Sinner attempted to shorten points with aggressive shot-making and frequent serve-and-volley tactics, but the shift failed to stop Cerundolo’s charge.
The Argentine dominated the fourth set, then broke early in the decider before closing out one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
“It’s tough for him. He was winning the match,” Cerundolo said after the victory. “I feel sorry for him and I hope he recovers. But I’m super happy and I’ll keep trying to play my best.”
The defeat ended Sinner’s remarkable 30-match winning streak stretching back to March and snapped the recent dominance shared by Sinner and Alcaraz at Grand Slam tournaments.
It also blew the men’s draw wide open. With Sinner eliminated, Djokovic now has a major opportunity to pursue a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, while Alexander Zverev also emerges as a serious contender in Paris after previously falling short in three major finals.
For Sinner, the defeat will be painful not only because of the stage, but because of the manner of the collapse. He was two sets up, in command of the third, and seemingly minutes away from another step toward history.
Instead, Roland Garros witnessed a remarkable reversal: a favourite undone by heat, physical struggle and an opponent brave enough to believe the match was not over. For Cerundolo, it was the victory of his career and the kind of result that can change both a tournament and a player’s belief in what is possible.
