World No 1 Jannik Sinner suffered a stunning second-round defeat at the French Open on Thursday, losing 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 to Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. The Italian, who had been the heavy favourite to win his first Roland Garros title, blamed illness rather than extreme heat for his dramatic collapse.
Sinner cruised through the first two sets and led 5-1 in the third, just four points from victory, before his body betrayed him. He began shaking his legs, stumbling between points, and eventually could barely move. He lost 18 points in a row and five consecutive games, receiving a medical evaluation and asking to leave the court to vomit, but nothing helped.
“I woke up, didn’t feel very well and tried to keep the points very short,” Sinner said. “In the beginning I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I kind of hit the wall.” He described the loss as “tough to accept” given his form, having entered on a 30-match winning streak. He will now take time off and skip grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon.
Sinner's exit opens up the men's draw. Alexander Zverev becomes the new favourite, while Novak Djokovic, the only former grand slam champion left, seeks his 25th major title. For Sinner, the defeat is devastating after months of dominance, and his team may question whether he should have withdrawn from a clay Masters 1000 event to stay fresh.
Elsewhere, 17-year-old French sensation Moïse Kouamé became the youngest man to reach a grand slam third round since Rafael Nadal in 2003, winning a five-set marathon. Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff also advanced, while Aryna Sabalenka beat local hope Elsa Jacquemot to set up a clash with Daria Kasatkina.
