Through the first two sets Thursday, Jannik Sinner was firing on all cylinders. After winning both sets, Sinner needed one more set to advance to the third round of the 2026 French Open.
But disaster struck in the third set. Once Sinner led 5-1 in the set, he began dropping points quickly. After losing 15 consecutive points to Juan Manuel Cerundro, Sinner grabbed his back before serving.
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This was a turning point in the match, with Sinner upset by Cerundolo, who took the last three sets and defeated world number one Cerundolo (3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1).
Instead of being given a time violation for being late in the third set, Sinner was visited on court by the referee. Their conversation, which could be heard on the broadcast, included Sinner asking if he would be allowed to take a timeout. The referee explained to Sinner that it was up to the doctor’s judgment after the fact. Sinner told the referee that he feared he was dehydrated. He was eventually allowed to take a medical timeout and leave the court temporarily.
That timeout probably shouldn’t have been allowed. Players are not allowed to take timeouts due to cramps, and TNT analyst Jim Courier criticized the decision on the broadcast, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.”
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Mr Courier added: “It’s not fair. It’s not right.” And later said: “We love the top athletes and they drive the sport forward. But we have to apply the rules fairly. The rules are bent in favor of the top athletes.”
The situation was eerily similar to what Sinner experienced at the 2026 Italian Open. During his match against Daniil Medvedev, Sinner began to struggle physically in the third set and eventually called a timeout.
Medvedev complained on court, insisting that Sinner should not have been given a timeout due to cramps. Medvedev’s complaints were minor. Sinner recovered from the problem, returned to play and defeated Medvedev in the match.
After the match, Medvedev said he was in favor of allowing players to receive treatment for cramps on court and called for a rule change, according to the-express.com.
“I hope he receives treatment to help,” Medvedev said after the match. “I’m sorry, but if you have a seizure, please allow three minutes of medical, or physiological, treatment.
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After a timeout on Thursday, Sinner was able to return to the court, but lost the third set to Cerundolo and the match was extended. In the fourth set, I wasn’t feeling like myself, but I was able to play without interruption. Sinner dropped the set to Cerundro 6-1, sending the match into the final set.
Things looked precarious for Sinner early in the fifth set. He quickly dropped the first two games to Cerundolo. It looked like Sinner would lose the third game, but he came back and tied the game at 40-40. After briefly trading points, Cerundro gained the advantage and took the third game, leading 3-0 in the final set. Cerundolo took the fourth set and took a commanding lead.
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At that point, Sinner tried to get back on his feet. He managed to win the fifth game of the set, making it 4-1. However, after another close game in the sixth inning, Sinner was unable to grab the victory, giving Cerundro a 5-1 lead.
Sinner wasn’t feeling well and the match was effectively over. Cerundro cruised to victory in the seventh game, winning the final set 6-1 and pulling off the upset.
With this victory, Cerundro advanced to the third round of the French Open for the first time in his career. Cerundolo, who competed in the event for the first time last year, was eliminated in the second round.
He will look to continue his 2026 run when he faces Martin Landalus in the third round on Saturday.
