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Top-ranked tennis pro Jannik Sinner was one game away from defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo in straight sets in the second round of the French Open on Thursday. Then the overwhelming Paris heat got to him and the Italian ultimately had his impressive streak snapped in a fantastic way.
Sinner entered Thursday’s match against the unseeded Argentine riding a 30-match winning streak dating back to February. In the early stages of the match, the 24-year-old looked set to prevail after winning the first two sets with ease and taking a 5-1 lead into the third.
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina during the men’s singles second round match on day five of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on May 28, 2026 in Paris, France. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
Then things changed, and fast.
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Just minutes away from securing the straight-set victory, Sinner dropped an unthinkable 18 points in a row with the temperature, both literally and figuratively, rising on court. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, Sinner seemingly could not go any further, suddenly bent over on the court and was attended to by medical personnel.
Sinner claimed he felt ill, which led to him being allowed to leave court for a period to have his blood pressure taken. After returning to court after what some might argue was preferential treatment, he lost the set 7-5.
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina during the men’s singles second round match on day five of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on May 28, 2026 in Paris, France. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
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Dealing with cramps and obvious heat exhaustion, he essentially went through the motions as he dropped 18 of the remaining 20 games in the match, falling 6-1, 6-1 in the final two frames.
The temperature at the start of the Sinner-Cerundolo fight was 84 degrees Fahrenheit before jumping to just above 90 degrees in the later stages.
Jannik Sinner of Italy was in pain during his five-set loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina on Court Philippe Chatrier in the second round of the singles competition at the 2026 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 28, 2026 in Paris, France. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
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Entering the event, Sinner was the overwhelming favorite to run through the bracket at Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam, especially given that Carlos Alcaraz did not compete due to injury. Now he will have to wait another year to try to become the 10th men’s player to complete the career feat.
Thursday’s defeat was not the first time Sinner has struggled violently in high temperatures. In January, he came out flat against American Elio Spizzirri at the Australian Open. The arena’s roof was eventually closed during the third-round match, and Sinner was able to win in four sets before eventually falling to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
