Jannik Sinner’s bid for tennis history at the 2026 French Open ended Thursday in one of the most stunning upsets in recent tennis history, as the World No. 1 collapsed physically and fell to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five sets on the clay of Roland Garros.
The final score of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 tells the story. Sinner had the match in hand, leading two sets to none and 5-1 in the third, before his body gave out under the Paris heat and 18 consecutive points simply disappeared. He entered the tournament on a 30-match winning streak. But that is all over now, along with his bid for the tennis history books.
Jannik Sinner’s French Open Loss Sends Fans Into Shock
GettyJuan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina shows appreciation to the fans after his stunning victory in his Men’s Singles second round match against Jannik Sinner of Italy on Day Five of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on May 28, 2026 in Paris, France.
Reactions from around the tennis world poured in quickly, ranging from heartbreak to disbelief to dark humor at the betting markets’ expense.
The Tennis Letter captured the historical dimension, noting that Sinner’s second-round exit at Roland Garros marked the first time a men’s World No. 1 had been eliminated before the third round at a Grand Slam since Andre Agassi in 2000, a gap of 26 years without a failure of that magnitude.
For some fans, Thursday’s loss landed even harder than last year’s final.
“Thought watching Jannik Sinner lose the Roland Garros final last year was the most depressing thing ever, but somehow I’m crying even harder now,” one fan posted on X.
Others zeroed in on the moment the match turned. “6-3; 6-2; 5-1 and all of a sudden he collapsed,” @UCCPD7 wrote on X.
One account noted the particular cruelty of the timeline, with three match points squandered in last year’s final against Carlos Alcaraz, and now a 5-1 third-set lead blown in the second round.
“A moment of silence for whoever bought him at 71 cents to win Roland Garros and is now down almost $30,000 on Polymarket,” @PolyTapBot posted alongside market screenshots.
The account @betr called it the biggest upset of all time, noting Sinner opened at -10000.
Timeout Controversy Overshadows Cerundolo’s French Open Upset
The match’s turning point was more than a little controversial. With Sinner visibly struggling in the third set, the umpire granted him a medical timeout to leave the court. The decision drew immediate on-air criticism from TNT analyst Jim Courier.
“That’s not fair. That’s not right,” Courier said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports. Tour rules prohibit timeouts for cramping.
“We love the top players, they drive the sport, but you’ve gotta apply the rules fairly,” Courier added. He called the umpire’s decision “absolute baloney.”
The situation echoed a controversy from the 2026 Italian Open, where Sinner was also granted a timeout during a match against Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev complained during that match and afterward called for a rule change allowing on-court physio treatment for cramps. Sinner recovered and won that day. Thursday, the outcome was different.
Sinner entered Roland Garros as one of the shortest pre-tournament favorites at a Grand Slam since at least 1990 — a -275 line to win the title, per ESPN.
With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz already sidelined by a wrist injury, the draw appeared to be a cakewalk for Sinner. Instead, Cerundolo, a 32-1 underdog entering Thursday’s match, now advances to the third round for the first time. The loss also means a Grand Slam title will go to someone outside the Sinner-Alcaraz axis for the first time since Novak Djokovic’s 2023 U.S. Open triumph.
Tennis World Reacts to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s French Open Shock