Sinner’s French Open exit ranks among tennis’ historic shocks
Heat exhaustion and a cramping injury in the third set saw the top seed fall to the 56th-ranked Argentine, marking the earliest exit for a men’s number one at Roland Garros since 2000.
World number one Jannik Sinner suffered a shock second-round exit at the 2026 French Open, losing to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five sets. The defeat ended Sinner’s 30-match winning streak, which had spanned since February, and marked the first time a men’s number one seed has exited the tournament in the second round or earlier since Andre Agassi in 2000.
Sinner entered the match as the -275 favourite, the second-shortest pre-tournament odds at a Grand Slam since at least 1990. However, temperatures during play reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit, contributing to extreme conditions on the court. The match concluded with a scoreline of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, with Sinner collapsing due to heat exhaustion during the third set.
The turning point occurred when Sinner led 5-1 in the third set and was serving for the match at 5-4, trailing 0-40. After collapsing, medical staff attended to him; he reported feeling sick and had his blood pressure taken before continuing play. Following the incident, Sinner lost 18 of the last 20 games in the match.
Analysts suggest the loss ranks among the biggest upsets in recent tennis history, though it may not surpass major shocks involving established legends. Previous notable upsets include Denis Istomin defeating Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open, Steve Darcis beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013, and Virginie Razzano defeating Serena Williams at the 2012 French Open.
While Sinner’s defeat is significant, it arguably does not rank higher than those specific incidents because Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and Williams had longer track records of success. Sinner is well on his way to reaching those heights, having won four Grand Slam titles since 2024, but this exit comes fairly early in his rise to stardom.
