World No 1 Jannik Sinner suffered a dramatic second-round defeat at the French Open, losing 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 to Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. The Italian, who was widely expected to win his first Roland Garros title, described the loss as 'tough to accept' given his recent form.
Sinner entered the tournament on a 30-match winning streak and was the heavy favourite. He cruised through the first two sets and led 5-1 in the third before his body gave way. From that point, he lost 18 points in a row and five consecutive games, struggling to move and even asking the umpire if he could leave the court to vomit.
Despite the extreme heat, Sinner denied that was the cause, saying he woke up feeling unwell. 'I tried to keep the points very short, but then I kind of hit the wall,' he explained. He will now take time off before Wimbledon, skipping all grass-court warm-up events.
Sinner's exit leaves the men's draw wide open. Alexander Zverev becomes the new favourite, while Novak Djokovic, at 39, sees an opportunity for a record 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic is the only former champion remaining in the draw.
Elsewhere, 17-year-old French wildcard Moïse Kouamé became the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam third round since Rafael Nadal in 2003, defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in a five-set thriller. Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff also advanced in the women's draw.
