Jannik Sinner is out of Roland Garros. The world No. 1, on a 30-match winning streak and the overwhelming favorite for the only major missing from his collection, led Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the first two sets. However, the Paris heat didn’t let the Italian get back on his feet as Cerundolo swooped in to take Sinner out 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

Sinner started showing signs of distress from the third set of the match. It looked like an easy win for the Italian when he led 5-1 in the third set. But just then, he felt dizzy and in discomfort, which led him to take prolonged pauses between rallies. He lost 15 straight points, then grabbed his back before a serve. The umpire entered the playing area out of concern and had a brief exchange before he was warned about a time violation, as his pauses were causing significant hindrance in the progression of the match.

He informed the umpire that he was worried about becoming dehydrated and was escorted off the pitch for medical attention. 

The timeout immediately drew controversy, especially due to it coming during a time Cerundolo led the game 0-40. Jim Courier, the two-time Roland Garros champion and TNT analyst, was scathing: “The clock should be counting. He should be getting penalized for this. This is not an injury. He’s reacting to different areas of his body. This is clearly cramping. The rules are being bent for the top players. You cannot tell me you’ve got to take him off court to try and see what his vital signs are like. This is absolute baloney. She was trying to help him. But that’s not fair. That’s not right.”

The situation mirrored an almost identical episode at the Italian Open, where Sinner was granted a timeout during his match against Medvedev for the same issue. Medvedev complained on court that day and later called for a rule change to allow on-court treatment for cramps rather than leaving the court entirely. In Rome, Sinner recovered and won. The interruption in Paris had no impact. 

Cerundolo won the third set 7-5 and never looked back. Sinner sank to his knees after almost every point in the fourth and fifth sets, winning just two games across them combined. Cerundolo’s physicality never wavered. His slice, his serve, and his calmness were surgical enough against a Sinner who barely moved. Cerundolo broke him to love in the final game to seal a 6-1 fifth set, completing the biggest win of his career. 

Sinner’s own assessment after the match was characteristically honest, if quietly devastating. “Middle of the third set, even though I was playing some great tennis, I really couldn’t find any energy today. It was a tough spot to be in.” He was direct about the conditions and equally direct about where he placed the blame. “It was warm but not crazy warm. I feel like it was quite okay to play. It was nothing against the heat. Nothing against the weather. Just me today. But it happens.” 

He paused, then added the line that captured the full weight of what had unfolded: “Nobody’s a robot. Nobody’s built to never fail. Today it went this way. Today I just didn’t see the way out… which normally doesn’t happen to me.”

The scale of what this means is difficult to overstate. Sinner had arrived in Paris as the most overwhelming favorite, having five Masters titles in 2026 alone, the Career Golden Masters completed, a Career Grand Slam within reach. Carlos Alcaraz’s injury meant the draw was now open. It brings an end to a 30-match winning streak and is the largest upset of the tournament. Roland Garros, the one Grand Slam he had never won, remains exactly that way.

The second-biggest upset by odds in men’s Grand Slam history since 2000

Put the magnitude of the collapse into perspective, Sportico data says. Sinner had gone into Roland Garros at -275 on the moneyline, the second-heaviest favorite at a men’s major since 2000, behind only Rafael Nadal at -400 at the 2009 French Open. All the others on that list, Nadal in 2018, Federer in 2006 and 2007, Nadal in 2010, led to a title. In 2009, the shocking upset of Robin Soderling beat Nadal in the fourth round. Sinner has now joined him as the only players since 2000 to enter a major as the two heaviest favorites and exit without a title. 

Cerundolo was generous in the aftermath, his words shaped by genuine disbelief at what he had witnessed from the other side of the net. “I could not win more than three games. I was a little bit lucky. I feel sorry for him because he deserved to win a lot of majors, and he was deserving to win this match. But I don’t know what happened. He was cramping maybe, maybe it was the pressure, I don’t know,” he said.

The Argentine, who is no stranger to clay courts but whose major record is limited to a second-round finish, has entered the third round of a tournament that has just lost its most dominant player. 

The younger brother of world No. 26, Francisco Cerundolo, will either face Martin Landaluce or Vit Kopriva in the round of 32. The elder brother is also through to his third round match after defeating Hugo Gaston in four sets. The 25th seed will lock horns with Zachary Svajda on Saturday.