Cerundolo Stuns Sinner In Roland Garros
Anotida
Juan Manuel Cerundolo produced the biggest upset of the 2026 tennis season after fighting from two sets down to defeat World No. 1 Jannik Sinner 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of Roland Garros on Thursday.
Sinner appeared in complete control of the contest after leading 5-1 in the third set, but the Italian’s physical condition deteriorated sharply as the match progressed. The 24-year-old struggled with apparent cramp and twice failed to serve out the match before taking an off-court medical timeout at 5-4 in the third set.
From that point, Cerundolo dominated proceedings, winning 18 of the final 20 games to secure the biggest victory of his career and his first-ever win over a World No. 1 player.
The Argentine, ranked No. 56 in the PIF ATP Rankings, became the first player since 2000 to eliminate the top seed at Roland Garros before the third round.
Sinner entered the tournament chasing a career Grand Slam, with the French Open remaining the only major title missing from his collection. He also arrived in Paris carrying a 30-match winning streak after an outstanding 2026 season that reportedly included victories at all five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played this year.
Despite his movement problems, Sinner continued to produce moments of quality shotmaking, particularly from the baseline. However, Cerundolo exploited the Italian’s limited mobility with aggressive court coverage, angled groundstrokes and well-timed drop shots.
The defeat adds another disappointing chapter for Sinner at Court Philippe-Chatrier following last year’s Roland Garros final loss to Carlos Alcaraz, where the Italian missed championship points.
Sinner exits Paris with a reported 37-3 win-loss record for the 2026 season.
The result has also opened up the men’s draw significantly. With Sinner eliminated and Alcaraz sidelined through injury, the tournament is now guaranteed to produce a new Grand Slam champion for the first time since the 2024 Australian Open.
Cerundolo advances to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career and will next face rising Spanish talent Martin Landaluce.
