World No. 1 Jannik Sinner suffered a shock second-round exit at the French Open on Thursday as Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo staged a remarkable comeback victory in five sets at Roland Garros.
Sinner, who arrived in Paris on a 30-match winning streak and as one of the favourites for the title, appeared to be cruising into the third round after taking the opening two sets and building a commanding 5-1 lead in the third.
However, the Italian’s challenge unraveled dramatically when he was struck by cramps in the scorching conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Cerundolo seized the momentum and completed a stunning turnaround to defeat Sinner 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, handing the top seed his earliest Grand Slam exit since he lost in the second round in Paris three years ago.
The 56th-ranked Argentine reeled off seven consecutive games during the decisive shift in momentum as Sinner struggled physically and was unable to regain control of the contest.
Cerundolo dominated the closing stages, winning 18 of the final 20 games to secure the biggest victory of his career and reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
For Sinner, the defeat brought an abrupt end to a dominant run that had established him as the player to beat on the ATP Tour this season.
The 24-year-old had looked firmly on course for another routine victory before his physical problems transformed the match into one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far.
