Juan Manuel Cerundolo pulled off a historic upset at the 2026 French Open, defeating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a grueling five-set match. Trailing by two sets, the Argentine took advantage of Sinner’s heat-related fatigue to mount a remarkable comeback, reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The World No.54 and Argentine tennis player Juan Manuel Cerundolo pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the French Open, defeating World No.1 and Italian star Jannik Sinner on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday, May 28.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo stunningly came from behind to defeat the World No. 1 in five sets, 3–6, 2–6, 7–5, 6–1, 6–1, to qualify for his maiden third round at a Grand Slam tournament. The Argentine player, who defeated Jacob Fearnley in the United Kingdom (UK) in three straight sets in the first round, left the spectators at Court Philippe-Chatrier completely stunned as he completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent Grand Slam history.
From two sets down to a historic five-set victory, Cerundolo staged a miraculous comeback to stun the World No.1 Sinner and secure his place in the third round of the 2026 French Open.
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From Almost Defeat to Victory
Juan Manuel Cerundolo didn’t have an ideal start to the second round, as Jannik Sinner got into his rhythm and quickly dominated the first two sets 6–3, 6–2, even holding a 5–1 lead in the third set. However, things went haywire for the Italian tennis star after he started to experience severe physical distress, including dizzy spells, nausea, and intense cramping, under the sweltering Paris heat.
Sinner was visibly exhausted and appeared to be completely unable to move freely, and called for a medical timeout to seek urgent treatment for the heat-related symptoms that had brought his dominant performance to a sudden halt. Capitalizing on the Italian star’s sudden decline, Cerundolo seized the momentum to tilt the match in his favour.
In the third set, the Argentine player found a new lease on life, as he successfully neutralized Sinner’s fading serve to grind out a critical 7–5 win. In the final two sets, Juan Manuel Cerundolo dominated in such a way that Jannik Sinner didn’t have any answer for the Argentine’s relentless consistency, as Cerundolo stormed to back-to-back 6–1 set wins to complete the historic comeback and seal his place in the third round.
Jannin Sinner’s decline in his physical condition due to Paris humidity proved to be a pivotal factor, which handed Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s biggest victory of his Grand Slam career while simultaneously ending Sinner’s 30-match unbeaten streak.
Cerundolo arrived at the French Open as World No. 56, securing direct entry into the tournament's main draw without needing to participate in the qualifying rounds.
Who Is Juan Manuel Cerundolo?
With his stunning five-set victory over World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the 2026 French Open, Juan Manuel Cerundolo has earned significant recognition. Born in 2001 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cerundolo comes from a prominent tennis family, with his brother, Francisco Cerúndolo, also a highly ranked player on the ATP Tour.
Juan started playing tennis at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks of Argentine tennis, eventually turning professional in 2018 to pursue a career on the ATP Tour. He shot to fame when he clinched his first ATP title at the 2021 Cordoba Open, having entered the tournament as a qualifier in what was his ATP main draw debut at the age of 19.
Before making his ATP Tour debut, Juan Manuel Cerundolo already earned his name on the Challenger Tour, where he won 12 titles and holds an impressive record of 165-83. In 2022, Cerundolo made his maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance at the Australian Open, where he lost to Tomaš Machac in the opening round of the first Major tournament of the calendar year.
The ongoing French Open 2026 is Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s sixth main draw appearance across Grand Slam tournaments. Following a victory over Jannik Sinner, Juan will next face Martin Landaluce in the third round on Saturday, May 30.
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