PARIS: Jannik Sinner said he ran out of energy and "hit the wall" as his 30-match winning run came to an abrupt halt in the second round of the French Open on Thursday.
World number one Sinner, the red-hot favourite at Roland Garros this year, suffered a dramatic five-set defeat by Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo after a sudden collapse on another sweltering day in Paris.
Sinner appeared to be cruising to victory, holding a two-set lead and a commanding 5-1 advantage in the third, before completely unravelling and sliding to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 loss.
"I had no energy today. That can happen. Nobody is a robot," said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who complained of dehydration and dizziness, saying he felt as though he might vomit.
The Italian left Court Philippe Chatrier to receive medical treatment while serving for the match. He returned minutes later but Cerundolo sensed his opportunity against an ailing opponent.
"I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy," added the 24-year-old Sinner.
"I was very, very flat, you know, the whole body. I don't remember last time I felt this weak.
"I woke up this morning, didn't feel very well and tried to keep the points very short. In the beginning I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall."
Sinner revealed he began to fade halfway through the third set as temperatures once again climbed above 30C during a record-breaking heatwave in France.
But he refused to blame the conditions for his unexpected exit, his earliest at a Grand Slam since he lost at the same stage here in 2023.
"It was warm, but not crazy warm," said Sinner. "Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.
"I don't want to take anything away from him (Cerundolo). He played a very solid match."
For Cerundolo, who goes on to play Martin Landaluce or Vit Kopriva in the last 32, it was just the third Grand Slam match win of his career.
The Buenos Aires native didn't blink as Sinner tried to gamely hang on, Cerundolo putting away the struggling top seed to pull off a monumental upset.
"It's tough for him (Sinner). I think I was a little bit lucky," said Cerundolo.
"I'm super happy. I'm going to keep trying to play my best. It's a tournament I really like to play, clay is my best surface."
Sinner's compatriot Flavio Cobolli, the 10th seed, reached the third round for a second successive year with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over China's Wu Yubing.
He will next face American Learner Tien after the 18th seed fought back to defeat world number 151 Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
KOUAME, 17, IN THIRD ROUND
Home hope Moise Kouame became the youngest man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since Rafael Nadal 23 years ago, after an epic French Open win on Thursday.
The 17-year-old wildcard survived a comeback from Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo to claim a remarkable 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8) win after four hours and 56 minutes on a raucous, and boiling hot, Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Kouame is the youngest man to reach the last 32 of a major since Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003.
"Frankly, without you, I would never have won this match, never," Kouame told the crowd in his on-court interview.
After wins for Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca on Wednesday, it is the first time three teenagers have made the third round of the men's singles at Roland Garros since Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils in 2006.
Kouame had already become the youngest man to win a Slam match in 17 years with his first-round success against Marin Cilic.
The Grand Slam debutant powered into a two-set lead to the delight of the French fans but then started to wilt in the baking heat.
But Kouame somehow dragged himself back from the brink of defeat when Vallejo was serving for the match at 5-3 in the fifth, before completing a memorable win in a thrilling tie-break.
Kouame will face Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, the world number 36, in the next round.
OSAKA SAFELY THROUGH
Osaka edged closer to a possible last-16 meeting with Sabalenka after reaching the third round for the first time in seven years by beating Croatia's Donna Vekic 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will face a tough test from American teenager Iva Jovic on Saturday when both players will be hoping to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time.
"Today was really tough," said the Japanese star. "But I was glad to be able to finish in two because every game felt really, really close."
Osaka's run to the US Open semifinals last year is the only time she has made the second week of a major since her last Grand Slam triumph at the 2021 Australian Open.
Jovic, the 17th seed, thrashed compatriot Emma Navarro 6-0, 6-3 in just 78 minutes. — AFP
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