Oddsmakers had installed Jannik Sinner as a substantial favorite to capture the French Open title, making his potential trophy ceremony at Roland Garros appear almost a foregone conclusion. However, Sinner, the world No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion, has become the latest high-profile casualty, joining a growing list of top seeds to experience early exits in the tournament’s initial rounds.
In a stunning turn of events, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, the younger brother of fellow competitor Francisco Cerundolo, managed to defeat Sinner with a scoreline of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
Sinner held a commanding lead, having taken the first two sets decisively and leading 5-1 in the third. However, he appeared to falter under the intense heat conditions at Roland Garros. Cerundolo observed a noticeable decline in Sinner’s movement during the third set, which he capitalized on.
“I started to notice that something wasn’t right, because he was beating me quite easily, if I have to be honest,” Cerundolo remarked. “Why would he change his strategy and try to shorten the points if he didn’t need to?”
Sinner’s defeat stands as the most significant upset of the current tournament, and arguably of the year. With other strong contenders like Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injuries, alongside clay-court specialists Arthur Fils and Lorenzo Musetti, Sinner’s exit has dramatically opened up the French Open draw. Reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who is aiming for his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, has advanced to the third round.
The absence of top seeds like Sinner and Alcaraz significantly enhances the prospects for contenders such as Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, both of whom have reached three major finals previously. Should Zverev, Ruud, or Djokovic fail to win this year’s French Open, their defeat would undoubtedly be considered a major upset.
Below are the other notable upsets that have occurred at this year’s French Open:
Elena Rybakina: No. 2 Seed
Prior to Sinner’s unexpected loss, Elena Rybakina represented the highest-seeded player to be eliminated from the tournament.
The 2026 Australian Open champion missed a critical opportunity to overtake Aryna Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking. Yuliia Starodubtseva emerged victorious against Rybakina with a final score of 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-4), with Rybakina recording a significant 71 unforced errors during the match.
“It’s just disappointing, because I felt I was practicing well leading up to the French Open,” Rybakina stated during her post-match press conference. “Today was a very poor performance with far too many unforced errors.”
Jessica Pegula: No. 5 Seed
Similar to Rybakina, Jessica Pegula had a chance to ascend to the world No. 1 ranking. Pegula could have left Roland Garros as the top-ranked American player, surpassing Coco Gauff.
However, Australian challenger Kimberly Birrell defeated Pegula in a hard-fought match, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, despite winning fewer total points (76 to Birrell’s 80). This victory marks Birrell’s first-ever win at Roland Garros.
“I’m so happy I was able to play what was likely my best match on clay, and to do it during a Grand Slam, especially here, is truly special,” Birrell shared in an interview following the match.
Pegula still has an opportunity to rise to No. 4 in the rankings if Gauff does not reach the final.
Ben Shelton: No. 6 Seed
Aside from his clay-court title win in Munich, Shelton’s recent performance had been inconsistent at best. Nevertheless, with Sinner’s departure, Shelton found himself among the highest-ranked players remaining in the top half of the draw.
Perhaps the increased expectations weighed on Shelton, who was defeated in straight sets by the world No. 62, Raphael Collignon of Belgium, with a score of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Collignon delivered a strong performance, recording 30 winners against just 13 unforced errors and achieving an impressive 88% first-serve success rate.
“I was very solid from start to finish, very stable,” Collignon commented. “I’m extremely pleased with how I played today. I was fully engaged in the match from beginning to end.”
Since his Munich title victory, Shelton has lost four of his last five matches.
Taylor Fritz: No. 7 Seed
Taylor Fritz was eliminated on the opening day of the French Open, succumbing to fellow American Nishesh Basavareddy in a tightly contested match that ended 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1.
“Honestly, I don’t think my level was that poor. Considering everything, I thought I actually played alright,” Fritz stated in his post-match press conference. “He was hitting incredible drop shots, off balls that were landing on the baseline. That really did me in, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. . . He truly exploited my game with the drop shots today.”
Alexander Bublik: No. 9 Seed
Alexander Bublik reached the quarterfinals of the French Open last year and is one of the few players in the draw who has defeated Sinner in the past two years. However, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff secured a victory over Bublik with a score of 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-5. Struff now holds a 4-3 head-to-head record against Bublik.
Jasmine Paolini: No. 13 Seed
Earlier this month, Jasmine Paolini marked her 100th consecutive week within the Top 10 rankings, becoming the first Italian woman to achieve this milestone.
Despite recent struggles with injury, Paolini had expressed hope of recapturing the form that led her to the 2024 French Open final.
An initial indication that Paolini might not be at her best came when she withdrew from the doubles competition with her compatriot Sara Errani, the defending doubles champions at Roland Garros.
Nevertheless, Paolini started strongly against Argentina’s Solana Sierra, ranked No. 68, leading 6-3, 4-2. Sierra ultimately came back to win the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Paolini was visibly emotional, shedding tears during her post-match interview.
Jelena Ostapenko: No. 29 Seed
While other higher-seeded players have been eliminated, their departures do not register as the most significant upsets. For instance, Linda Noskova, the 12th seed, lost to Maria Sakkari, but Sakkari is demonstrating a resurgence towards her top-10 form. Similarly, Daniil Medvedev’s first-round exit was surprising given his decorated career, yet it marked his seventh first-round defeat in ten appearances at Roland Garros.
Jelena Ostapenko’s loss, however, is considered a major upset due to the highly anticipated third-round matchup that was expected between her and Iga Swiatek. Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, has a flawless 6-0 record against Swiatek, making their potential encounter a significant talking point when the draw was released.
That match will not take place. Swiatek’s fellow Polish player Magda Linette defeated Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. Swiatek has since defeated Linette in straight sets to advance to the fourth round. Significant upsets often clear the path for top contenders, even for a four-time French Open champion like Swiatek.
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