The 2026 French Open has delivered its most staggering upset just days into the tournament, as men’s world number one Jannik Sinner crashed out in the second round following a crippling fitness collapse against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo in sweltering Parisian conditions.
Coming into Roland Garros, the 24-year-old Italian was the overwhelming pre-tournament favorite to claim the title – a status not seen since Rafael Nadal topped the betting in 2009. Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, had arrived in Paris on a historic 30-match winning streak, having claimed five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles across hard and clay courts over the previous three months. Most importantly, this tournament marked his best ever chance to complete a career Grand Slam, the only major trophy still missing from his collection, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the twilight of his career.
For two full sets, the expected narrative unfolded without a hitch. Sinner dominated Cerundolo, ranked 56th in the world, taking the first two sets 6-3, 6-2 and holding just one break point opportunity against his serve. Up 5-1 in the third set, Sinner appeared just moments away from closing out the match and advancing to the third round. That was when the tide turned irreversibly.
Unseasonably extreme heat gripped Paris throughout the match, with temperatures climbing above 34 degrees Celsius – conditions that have long posed problems for Sinner, who suffered severe cramping in near-40C heat at this year’s Australian Open, and only avoided an early exit there when the tournament’s heat rule was enforced mid-match. In a rare scheduling quirk, Roland Garros organizers placed Sinner as the first match on Court Philippe Chatrier, a slot no men’s top seed has opened before the semi-final stage in a decade. While the early start brought milder initial conditions, temperatures climbed rapidly as the match wore on, and Sinner’s old fitness issues flared.
After dropping 11 consecutive points and three straight games to see his third-set lead cut to 5-3, Sinner called for a medical trainer, visibly labored and dejected on court. He told staff he felt intense dizziness and overwhelming nausea, saying he wanted to vomit, before taking an extended mid-game medical timeout. When he returned to court, the Italian was a shadow of his dominant self. Where he once controlled rallies with powerful, accurate strokes from the baseline, his shots suddenly dropped 10 miles per hour in speed. He could barely chase down Cerundolo’s returns, wandering slowly around the court and stopping between points to shake out his fatigued legs.
Cerundolo, to his credit, kept his composure and capitalized on Sinner’s collapse, breaking the world number one’s serve to take the third set 7-5. He dominated the fourth set 6-1, and jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the deciding fifth set. Despite cheers from the Paris crowd and encouragement from his coaching team, Sinner could not turn the tide. He managed only one more service hold to cut the lead to 4-1, but Cerundolo broke again in the next game to close out the historic 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 victory.
The result is one of the most shocking early exits in Grand Slam history, ending Sinner’s undefeated 2025 season and his quest for a career Grand Slam for at least another year. It is Sinner’s first loss since February, and his first clay court defeat of the entire season.
For the remaining men’s draw, the upset has thrown the tournament wide open, handing Djokovic arguably his best chance in years to claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title. For Cerundolo, the win sets up a third-round showdown with either Spain’s Martin Landaluce or the Czech Republic’s Vit Kopriva, as he continues his unlikely deep run at the 2026 French Open.