French Open: Jannik Sinner upset by Juan Manuel Cerundolo after being granted controversial cramping timeout
Through his first two sets Thursday, Jannik Sinner was firing on all cylinders. After winning both sets, Sinner needed just one more to advance to the third round of the 2026 French Open.
But disaster struck in the third set. With Sinner up 5-1 in the set, he started dropping points rapidly. After losing 15-straight points to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Sinner grabbed his back before a serve.
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That proved to be the turning point in the match, as Sinner was upset by Cerundolo, who took the final three sets to defeat the world’s No. 1 (3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1).
Instead of receiving a time violation for his delay in the third set, Sinner was visited on the court by the umpire. Their conversation, which could be heard on the broadcast, included Sinner asking whether he was allowed to take a timeout. The umpire explained to Sinner that it depends on what the doctors determine after the fact. Sinner told the umpire he was concerned he was dealing with dehydration. He was eventually allowed to take a medical timeout and briefly leave the court.
That timeout probably shouldn’t have been granted. Players are not allowed to take a timeout for cramping, and TNT analyst Jim Courier ripped that decision on the broadcast, saying it was “absolute baloney.”
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Courier added, “That’s not fair. That’s not right.” And later said, “We love the top players, they drive the sport, but you’ve gotta apply the rules fairly. The rules are being bent for the top players.”
The situation was eerily similar to something Sinner experienced at the 2026 Italian Open. During his match against Daniil Medvedev, Sinner began struggling physically in the third set, eventually being granted a timeout.
Medvedev complained on the court, arguing that Sinner should not be allowed a timeout for cramping. Medvedev’s complaints didn’t amount to much. Sinner recovered from the issue, returned to play and defeated Medvedev in the match.
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After the contest, Medvedev called for a rule change, saying he would be in favor of allowing players to receive treatment for cramps on the court, per the-express.com.
“Allow medical treatment for help,” Medvedev said after the match. “Sorry. Allow medical, meaning physio, three minutes, when you have cramps.
Following his timeout Thursday, Sinner was able to return to the court, but dropped the third set to Cerundolo, extending the match. He was able to play without interruption in the fourth set, he didn’t look like himself. Sinner dropped the set 6-1 to Cerundolo, sending the match into the final set.
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Things looked shaky for Sinner early. He quickly dropped the first two games to Cerundolo. Sinner looked as though he would drop the third game as well, but was able to rally and get back into the contest, tying it 40-40. After briefly trading points, Cerundolo gained the advantage and took the third game, giving him a 3-0 lead in the final set. Cerundolo also took the fourth set, giving him a commanding lead.
At that point, Sinner tried to rally. He managed to take the fifth game of the set, making it 4-1. But after once again playing a tight game in the sixth, Sinner couldn’t pick up the win, giving Cerundolo a 5-1 lead.
With Sinner in rough shape, the match was essentially over. Cerundolo cruised to the win in the seventh game, taking the final set 6-1 and pulling off the upset.
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With the win, Cerundolo advanced to the third round of the French Open for the first time in his career. In his first appearance at the event last year, Cerundolo was eliminated in the second round.
He’ll take on the winner of Martin Landaluce and Vit Kopriva in the third round Saturday.
This story will be updated.
