Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, the 24-year-old Buenos Aires native ranked 56th, stunned Jannik Sinner on Thursday, May 28, erasing a 5-1 third-set lead and blocking Sinner’s bid for a career Grand Slam.
On Thursday, May 28, Jannik Sinner looked like he was heading toward another relentless victory. The top-ranked player had won 30 matches in a row, and during his second-round match at the French Open he was serving for the match when everything unraveled.
Instead. 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerúndolo — an Argentine who was not expected to swing the outcome — fought through a tense. heat-charged contest in Paris. Sinner blew a 5-1 third-set lead. appeared to be struggling with the Paris heat. and began cramping up at nearly every game as the match shifted.
Cerúndolo won 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, denying Sinner a chance to complete a career Grand Slam. With his next victory, Cerúndolo would vault closer to the Top 40 of the rankings. He is set to face fellow Argentinian Mariano Navone in the third round.
That question many fans were asking—who exactly is Cerúndolo?—has an answer rooted in both a tennis family and a steady climb through pro tennis.
Cerúndolo is 24 and from Buenos Aires, Argentina. His game is built largely around a strong left-handed forehand, the weapon he relies on to generate most of his winners. He also has a brother, Francisco, who is on the ATP Tour, and his father, Alejandro, played professional tennis in the 1980s.
He began playing tennis at age 3 at his parents’ academy, and turned pro in 2018. His 2026 second-round appearance at the French Open is only the third time he has reached that stage of a Grand Slam in his career.
This run into the spotlight comes after a strong stretch on clay earlier this month. Cerúndolo won the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux in France, dispatching four Top-100 opponents during the tournament.
The win over Sinner also carries a clear career milestone. With it, Cerúndolo will reach a career-high of at least No. 49 in the rankings. His only other match against Sinner came at Wimbledon in 2023, when he lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in just 90 minutes.
Off the court, Cerúndolo has said Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo are his favorite soccer players. Growing up, he looked up to Rafael Nadal, a 14-time French Open winner.
The sequence of what unfolded at Roland Garros is stark: Sinner. carrying a 30-match streak and serving to close. slipped after a commanding third set. while Cerúndolo kept answering even as the match turned physical and the heat took its toll. Cerúndolo’s momentum didn’t stop with the upset; it now points toward a third-round matchup against Mariano Navone. and a path that could move him deeper into the rankings conversation.
For Sinner. the loss is more than a missed step in a tournament—he’s been denied the completion of a career Grand Slam. For Cerúndolo. the story is just beginning: a breakthrough French Open second round. a career-high looming. and a rivalry chapter written in Paris after years of building up to moments like this.
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo Jannik Sinner French Open Roland Garros Argentine tennis Mariano Navone BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux career Grand Slam