Jannik Sinner’s Roland-Garros defeat stunned the draw because it was not just the world number one losing early.
The Italian led Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2 and 5-1, then twice failed to serve out the match as his body betrayed him.
Cerundolo won 18 of the final 20 games to complete a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 comeback that left everyone reacting. And it clearly caught his opponents off guard.
Martin Landaluce stunned after finding out Jannik Sinner had lost
Martin Landaluce only learned he would not face Sinner after beating Vit Kopriva, because he had started his match while the Italian was two sets up.
His first reaction said everything. Landaluce asked the interviewer: “Did he [Sinner] withdraw? Did he lose?”
After being told the Italian star had struggled with the heat, lost his physical edge and been beaten, Landaluce admitted the news left his jaw dropped.
The Spaniard stated: “Well, it surprises me a lot because I was watching the game, Sinner was 2 sets ahead, and I knew he was playing against them. At the end, you don’t want to see it, but people tell you.
“And I wanted to play with him, but I’m going to have a good game anyway. Juanma will surely be playing at a great level. It’s going to be a hard, physical game.”
There was also a neat twist. Landaluce had just produced his own five-set comeback, fighting from two sets down to beat Kopriva and keep his Roland Garros chances.
Now he faces Cerundolo instead of Sinner, with both men arriving after refusing to disappear.
