World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner suffered one of the most shocking defeats in recent Grand Slam history on Thursday, collapsing physically and emotionally as he crashed out of the French Open in the second round.
The Italian, a heavy favourite to win the title following Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal, was leading Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 and serving for the match. But in a dramatic and sudden turnaround, Sinner lost 15 consecutive points, required a medical timeout, and eventually fell 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.
Courtside microphones captured the 24-year-old telling medical staff he felt dizzy and nauseous. He was seen bending over in exhaustion, unable to run for shots, and resorting to desperate drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to shorten points. On changeovers, he attempted to cool himself with a hand-held fan and placed bags of ice around his neck.
The defeat marks the first time since the 2024 US Open that Sinner has failed to reach at least the semi-finals of a major. His extraordinary run of 30 consecutive match wins, stretching back to February, was brought to a stunning halt in sweltering 32-degree heat on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
‘I didn’t feel well when waking up’
Speaking after the match, a subdued Sinner rejected suggestions that the heat was primarily to blame, revealing he had felt unwell from the moment he woke up.
“I didn’t feel very well on court,” he said. “I started to feel very dizzy, very low on energy. I woke up this morning and didn’t feel very well. I tried to keep the points very short. In the beginning I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall.
“It was warm, but not crazy warm. It was nothing against the heat. It was just me today. I think many things together caused this problem. I just need my time now to process what went wrong.”
Asked whether his heavy clay-court schedule – which included winning three consecutive titles – had contributed, Sinner defended his approach. “You don’t know,” he said. “If I don’t play Madrid or Rome, maybe I come here and still have a day like this. Looking back, it’s very tough. A very early exit was not what I was looking for.”
‘I feel sorry for him’ – Cerundolo
Cerundolo, ranked well outside the world’s top 100, admitted he had been fortunate and expressed sympathy for his opponent.
“It’s tough for him. He was winning the match – I couldn’t win more than three games in the first two sets,” the Argentine said. “I think I was a little bit lucky. I feel sorry for him. He was serving to win the match, and then I don’t know what happened. I hope he recovers.”
Teenager Kouame makes history
In other action on another dramatic day at Roland-Garros, 17-year-old French wildcard Moise Kouame became the fifth-youngest man in the Open Era to reach the third round of a Grand Slam. He outlasted Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) in a gripping contest lasting nearly five hours.
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced with a come-from-behind win, but fifth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated in straight sets by Belgium’s Raphael Collignon.
Sinner is expected to take time away from the tour to recover fully before beginning his preparations for Wimbledon.
