Top seed Jannik Sinner wilts, bounced from French Open

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner was one game away from advancing to the third round of the French Open on Thursday before it all fell apart.

Clearly struggling with the heat that reached 90 degrees, Sinner squandered two chances to serve for the match before Argentina's 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo ended the Italian's 30-match win streak with a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory on the clay courts at Roland Garros in Paris.

"It was not my day today," Sinner posted on X. "We've had an incredible year so far but now I need some time off. Thank you all for the amazing support and congrats to (Cerundolo) on a solid match. See you soon. Au revoir, Paris."

Sinner, 24, was seeking his first French Open title, which would have given him the career Grand Slam.

American Ben Shelton, the No. 5 seed at Roland Garros, also went down to defeat on Thursday.

The win seemed inevitable for Sinner when he jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set. But he lost seven of the next eight games. Up 5-1 in the set, Sinner lost 18 consecutive points.

With his clothes soaked through with sweat, Sinner bent over on the court and walked to his chair while serving for the match at 5-4 (0-40) in the third set. He left the court and returned with an ice pack and used a handheld fan during changeovers.

Sinner's play went cold, however, losing the game and mustering just two more wins during the rest of the match while resorting to drop shots and serve-and-volleying in an attempt to shorten points.

"It's tough for him," Cerundolo said of Sinner. "I couldn't win more than three games in a set, so I was a little bit lucky. He deserved to win this match, and then I don't know what happened. But I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers."

The temperature at the start of the match was 84 degrees Fahrenheit. It rose to 90 as the match progressed.

Cerundolo, 24, advanced into the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. He will next face either Spaniard Martin Landaluce or Czech player Vit Kopriva.

With Sinner eliminated, Novak Djokovic is the lone remaining player in the men's draw who has won a Grand Slam title. He is seeking his first since the 2023 U.S. Open. And for the first time since then, a Grand Slam will be won by someone other than Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion who is missing this year's French Open due to a wrist injury.

Shelton leaves Paris as a major disappointment after being strongly outplayed by Belgian Raphael Collignon, who earned the first top-five win of his career.

Collignon, 24, hit 30 winners against just 13 unforced errors in the dominating 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win over Shelton.

"I was very solid from the beginning to the end, very stable," Collignon said afterward. "I'm really happy about the way I played today. I was really into the match from beginning to end.

"I knew I had to be good on returns. So I had to focus on that. I know that when I focus, I serve well. That's where I'm best. I seized every opportunity, and I broke every time at the right time. If I hadn't been so calm and quiet, I wouldn't have been able to win the match."

Collignon next faces Italy's Matteo Arnaldi, who was a 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada started slow before notching a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Argentina's Roman Andres Burruchaga. No. 10 Flavio Cobolli of Italy beat China's Wu Yibing 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Argentina's Francisco Comesana outlasted No. 14 Luciano Darderi of Italy, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, while Chile's Alejandro Tabilo advanced in a walkover when No. 16 Valentin Vacherot of Monaco withdrew because of a foot injury.

No. 18 Learner Tien won a battle against Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta by capturing the final two sets for a 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory.

No. 19 Frances Tiafoe needed four hours, 43 minutes to post a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-4 victory over Hubert Hurkacz of Poland. Hurkacz had edges of 43-15 in aces and 88-68 in winners but committed 59 unforced errors to Tiafoe's 32.

Italy's Matteo Berrettini recorded a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 upset of No. 22 Arthur Rinderknech of France, while No. 25 Francisco Cerundolo beat French wild card Hugo Gaston 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.

No. 31 Brandon Nakashima rallied for a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over Luca Van Assche of France.

Other unseeded winners were Zachary Svajda, Spain's Martin Landaluce, Portugal's Jaime Faria and 17-year-old Moise Kouame of France.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 7:30 AM.