Juan Manuel Cerundolo Stuns World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at French Open

Cerundolo's Historic Upset

Juan Manuel Cerundolo has captured the attention of the tennis community by defeating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a shocking second-round match at the 2026 French Open. This remarkable victory is being hailed as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history. The Argentine player triumphed in a gripping five-set match, finishing with scores of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 after an intense three hours and 36 minutes under the sweltering Paris sun at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Initially, it seemed Sinner would secure an easy win, leading the third set 5-1 and serving for the match. However, Cerundolo turned the tide, losing only two games thereafter.

Profile of Juan Manuel Cerundolo

Who Is Juan Manuel Cerundolo?

Cerundolo, aged 24, is from Argentina and currently holds the 56th position in the ATP rankings. He comes from a family deeply rooted in tennis; his father Alejandro, mother Maria Luiz, and brother Francisco are all former professional players. His sister, Maria Constanza, was part of the Argentine junior hockey team that clinched gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics. Cerundolo began playing tennis at the age of three at his father's academy and is an admirer of Rafael Nadal. This marks his first advancement to the third round of a Grand Slam event. Previously, he had only won one Grand Slam match, which occurred during the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon against Ilya Ivashka, where he also came back from two sets down. He faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round and lost. In the first round of this year's French Open, he defeated Jacob Fearnley from the UK in straight sets. Last year, he made it to the second round of the clay court major after beating Alex Michelsen from the USA, marking Argentina's first victory at Roland Garros. However, he was eliminated in the second round by Hamad Medjedovic. His previous appearances in Grand Slam main draws (Australian Open 2022 and 2025, Wimbledon 2023) ended in first-round exits. Currently, his ranking of 56 is a career high, reflecting a significant rise after defeating the world No. 1. He finished the 2025 season ranked 86th and was 139th at the end of 2024. Throughout his career, Cerundolo has played 72 matches, achieving 30 wins and 42 losses, with total prize money earnings of $2,014,777 (₹19,378,000). He has yet to progress past the third round in any ATP Masters 1000 event and has secured just one singles title, winning the Córdoba Open in 2021, an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament. This was his first main draw tournament, where he entered as a wildcard while ranked 336 in the world. Cerundolo's victory over Sinner marks his first win against a top 10 player, adding to his previous wins against Kevin Anderson at the 2022 Miami Masters and Diego Schwartzman at the Córdoba Open 2023. Additionally, he is set to compete in men's doubles at the 2026 Roland Garros alongside fellow Argentine Mariano Navone, with their first-round match scheduled for tomorrow (May 29).