PARIS -- For the first hour and 53 minutes during Thursday's second-round clash, top-seeded Jannik Sinner was in complete control against No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
With a 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 edge, there was just one game standing between him and the third round.
But that's when everything fell apart.
Sinner then couldn't find a way to win a point against Cerundolo in the intense afternoon heat on Philippe-Chatrier. While serving for the match at 5-4, 0-40, he leaned over with apparent cramps and then walked to his chair. He then left the court for more than nine minutes to receive treatment.
But he continued to struggle. He lost the next point during what was ultimately a stretch of 18-straight points lost and seven games, extending into a once-unthinkable fourth set.
And it didn't get better from there. In the fourth set, his movement seemed severely restricted and he failed to come to the net, or run, at times. He could be seen frequently limping and leaning over. During the changeovers, he had an ice pack around his neck, and was trying to stand in any shade he could find during breaks between points. He tried using a handheld fan, as well as attempting to drink some sort of carbonated beverage, but nothing seemed to work.
He lost 18 of the final 20 games for a final, head-scratching score of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. It marked the earliest exit by the top-seeded man at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2000.
So what exactly happened Thursday afternoon? And what does it mean for the rest of the tournament? Let's break it down.
How did Sinner lose?
On paper, this match looked like it should be another routine victory for the dominant Italian. But the heat has long been one of Sinner's most challenging opponents, and as soon as Thursday's order of play was announced Wednesday, it raised questions about his ability to play in the current conditions at Roland Garros.
There has been a heat wave in Paris this week, and with temperatures soaring over 90 degrees during the afternoons, it was clear the weather would at least be a factor with a noon start time. He has cramped previously in such heat, recently at the Australian Open earlier this year before the roof was closed and at Shanghai in October. He had played his opening-round match during the night session -- starting after 8 p.m. local time -- on Tuesday, well after the hottest part of the day.
With a lack of breeze, little shade and relentless sunshine, Sinner withered. He was drenched in sweat. However, while the temperature did reach 90 degrees, it didn't trigger the heat rule, which would have suspended play, because it didn't meet the wet-bulb globe temperature requirements.
Sinner, however, didn't blame the heat when speaking to the media. He said it "was not crazy hot" and instead said he had trouble sleeping Wednesday night, wasn't feeling well when he woke up and simply struggled to find any energy. He said he experienced dizziness and fatigue.
"I don't remember the last time I felt this weak," Sinner said. "But yeah, look, it is what it is. I tried to stay there with all I had today, and this was the maximum I had. Of course, [it's] a pity because I was playing really well the first couple of sets, and also the third set was playing really well. Yeah, that's the sport."
What does it mean for Sinner?
In addition to putting his quest for a career Grand Slam on hold, it also ends one of the most impressive streaks in the sport. Entering the match, he hadn't lost since February. Sinner had won all five of the Masters 1000-level tournaments this season, including all three on clay, and was the overwhelming favorite to win the title, especially in the absence of two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner was a -275 favorite to claim the trophy at the start of the tournament, the second-shortest odds at a major since at least 1990 and the shortest since Rafael Nadal (-400) at the 2009 French Open. (Nadal lost in that event in the fourth round.)
With both Sinner and Alcaraz now no longer in the draw, this is the first time since 2000 that the French Open hasn't featured the ATP's top two players in the third round. This also will be the first major since the US Open in 2023 in which neither Sinner nor Alcaraz won the trophy.
Sinner had made the semifinals or better in each of the last six Slams leading into Roland Garros, and he was one of just five men in the Open era to do so. He had looked to match Nadal with seven in Paris.
Sinner, who will remain the world No. 1 despite the early exit, said he will now have plenty of time to recover and prepare for Wimbledon, where he is the reigning champion. He told reporters he didn't expect to play in any of the lead-in events on grass. Alcaraz, the 2023 and 2024 victor, has already announced he will not be playing as he recovers from injury, leaving Sinner yet again as the early favorite.
Sinner said he wasn't too concerned about Thursday's result in terms of the big picture.
"I just need my time now to process what went wrong here, and [I'm] positive also that we can put in good practice weeks before Wimby," he said. "Also, because after Wimby, we have important tournaments coming up ... Montreal and Cincinnati and US Open. There are still plenty to play this year."
Where does this leave the rest of the field?
In absolute chaos. With Alcaraz's absence, the non-Sinner half of the draw was already somewhat open, but with Sinner now out, this creates an incredible opportunity for everyone remaining.
Cerundolo will next play against an unseeded player in Vit Kopriva or Martin Landaluce. If he were to win, he wouldn't face a top-10 player until at least the quarterfinals. Ben Shelton, the No. 5 seed, is the highest-ranked player remaining in the quarter and will now have a chance to become the first American man to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros since 1999. He next plays later on Thursday. No. 19 seed Frances Tiafoe, a 2025 quarterfinalist, also could do just that. He defeated Hubert Hurkacz in a five-set thriller to advance to the third round.
With Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, upset in the first round, there are a number of other players -- including No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Alissiame and third-round opponents No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli and No. 18 Learner Tien -- who could capitalize in the same half of the draw.
Of course, this could also be an opportunity for players such as No. 2 Alexander Zverev or No. 15 seed Casper Ruud -- both on the other side of the draw -- to win their first major, after coming so close previously. Others, such as No. 11 Andrey Rublev, No. 24 Tommy Paul and even No. 27 Rafael Jodar, the surging 19-year-old from Spain, will look to make their move as well.
But perhaps most notably, it leaves a tantalizing chance for Novak Djokovic to win a record-setting 25th major title. This could be his best, and maybe final, opportunity to win, and it's clear he will do everything he can to seize the moment. He next faces the up-and-coming Joao Fonseca on Friday in what will become an even more compelling match.
One thing is for sure: Things are about to get very interesting in Paris.
