Two Sets Down, and Still Standing
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo arrived at Court Philippe-Chatrier on 28 May as the World No. 56 and left it the author of the season's largest upset.
Jannik Sinner's attempt to complete the Career Grand Slam ended on Thursday at Roland Garros, where the World No. 1 was overcome physically, allowing Juan Manuel Cerúndolo to surge to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Two sets and a double break down, the Argentine had every reason to concede the afternoon. He did not.
The turn came in the third set.
When Sinner led 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 and just a game from a 31st successive victory under a hot Paris sun there seemed no feasible possibility of a comeback. The scoreline only tells half the story, as Sinner was limited by physical problems in extreme heat that began to surface when he served for a routine win in the third set.
The Italian served for the match twice, at 5-2 and 5-4, but was so fatigued he didn't win a point in either game. His velocity on serve had dropped by approximately 15km/h from his previous match average.
Cerúndolo reeled off 18 consecutive points, and after notching 20 of 21 he had his first lead, at 6-5 in the third.
From there the two closing sets fell his way.
Cerúndolo claimed 18 of the final 20 games to seal the biggest upset of the 2026 season.
He read the shift himself.
Cerúndolo revealed that a change in Sinner's gameplan provided the first indication, noticing serve-and-volleys and forehands struck from out of position, all designed to shorten the points.
The context sharpened the result.
The Argentine is the first man to oust the top seed at the clay-court major before the third round since Karol Kucera in 2000.
He is also the first top-seeded man to lose in the round of 64 at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2000.
Nearly Six Hours on Court 7
Two days later he did it the hard way.
Cerúndolo backed up his shock second-round triumph with a lung-busting 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(10-8) victory against Martín Landaluce.
He won the final four points to rally from 6/8 in the deciding-set Match Tie-break and claim a five-hour, 58-minute win.
The margins were almost invisible.
Cerúndolo finished the Court-7 epic having won 214 points to Landaluce's 213. It is the third-longest Roland Garros match since records began in 1996, and the longest since fifth-set Match Tie-breaks were introduced in 2022.
Only two encounters have lasted longer: Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément in 2004, and Corentin Moutet and Lorenzo Giustino in 2020.
The reward reframes a career.
Cerúndolo secured his place in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros for the first time.
Regardless of what happens against Berrettini, he will break the Top 50 for the first time, up 12 spots to No. 44 in the Live Rankings.
For a player who had never before reached a Grand Slam third round, the ascent is steep and sudden.
A fourth-round meeting with Matteo Berrettini now awaits.
He beat the best player in the world, then beat the clock. The rest of Paris now knows his name.
