The 2026 edition of Roland Garros witnessed one of the most stunning, logic-defying collapses in Grand Slam history on Thursday. World No. 1 and runaway title favorite Jannik Sinner saw his immaculate 30-match winning streak violently snapped in the second round.
In a dramatic physical free-fall under a sweltering Paris sun, the Italian succumbed to searing heat, severe body cramping, and a relentless Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who pulled off a monumental 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 shocker on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Adding to an already historic day for the South American family, Juan Manuel’s older brother, Francisco Cerundolo, also booked his ticket to the third round by staging a gritty four-set comeback win over home favorite Hugo Gaston on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
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The Great Free-Fall
For the first two and a half sets, Jannik Sinner looked utterly invincible, commanding the court with the same flawless precision that had yielded six consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles earlier in the season.
Sinner coasted through the opening frames and quickly built a seemingly insurmountable 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 lead in the third set. He stood a mere single game away from a standard, routine straight-sets victory.
Baking under a punishing 92-degree heatwave – marking one of the hottest late-May afternoons in Parisian history – Sinner’s body suddenly hit a physical wall. Piercing, full-body cramps set in, severely limiting his lower-body mobility and draining his explosive energy reserves.
Sensing his opponent’s distress, world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo locked in. The Argentine fought off the brink of elimination, launching an astonishing assault that saw him win 18 of the final 20 games of the match.
Sinner took an off-court medical timeout and tried to visually anchor himself using his racket as a cane between points, but he was completely flat. Cerundolo comfortably ran away with the fourth and fifth sets, wrapping up the lifetime milestone in three hours and 36 minutes.
With the victory, Juan Manuel became the first player since 2000 to successfully defeat the top-seeded men’s player at Roland Garros prior to the third round.
A Double Celebration for Cerundolo Family
While Juan Manuel was engineering a historic upset on the main show court, his older brother, 25th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo, was busy securing his own place in the round of 32.
Battling a vocal French crowd on Court Simonne-Mathieu, Francisco bounced back beautifully after dropping a tight opening frame to defeat Frenchman Hugo Gaston 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. Francisco’s tactical baseline depth and superior second-serve conversion completely wore down Gaston, ensuring that both Argentine brothers advanced simultaneously on a historic Thursday for South American tennis.
“No One Is a Robot”: Sinner Reflects on Physical Crises
Addressing the media in his post-match press conference, a visibly depleted Sinner was highly candid about his body betraying him under the glaring sun:
“I felt this morning I didn’t sleep very well. The third set I let go to try and recover physically, and the fifth set we all know everything can happen, but yeah, it was tough. I was in a tough spot in the fourth set and also in the fifth set at some point. I didn’t have energy, really. I was very, very flat in the whole body.
“I don’t remember the last time I felt this weak, but it is what it is. Today was really something different – I just couldn’t pull myself out of these difficulties. Maybe sometimes I manage to get out of it a little better, to find other solutions. Today I had no energy.”
With Carlos Alcaraz already missing the tournament due to injury and the dominant world No. 1 now prematurely sent packing, the men’s singles draw at Roland Garros 2026 has been blown completely wide open.
