Upsets Dominate Early Rounds at 2026 French Open
Top seed Jannik Sinner falls in the second round, while two other top-10 players were eliminated in the first round at Roland-Garros.
"I didn't feel well in the morning and attempted to keep points short." — Jannik Sinner
Sinner Eliminated in Second Round
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner lost to No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo in a dramatic five-set match that ended with scores of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
During the match, Sinner exhibited physical distress, including dizziness, low energy, and dry retching. Sinner stated he did not feel well from the morning onward. Cerundolo said he felt lucky and expressed sympathy for Sinner.
Prior to this match, Sinner had a 30-match winning streak and had won five consecutive Masters titles.
Top Seeds Exit in First Round
Medvedev Falls to Walton
Adam Walton (ranked 83rd) defeated former world No. 1 and No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in a match on Court Suzanne Lenglen lasting 3 hours 22 minutes.
Walton, who received a reciprocal wildcard from Tennis Australia, had previously defeated Medvedev at the Cincinnati Open in August 2025. The match saw Medvedev win nine of eleven games to take a 4-2 lead in the fifth set before Walton saved break points and broke Medvedev's serve following consecutive errors.
Medvedev stated that he "didn't play my best tennis" and "didn't manage to raise my level enough to win the whole match." Temperatures reached 32°C in Paris; Walton stated he was comfortable in the heat.
"I didn't play my best tennis... I didn't manage to raise my level enough to win the whole match." — Daniil Medvedev
Pegula Ousted by Birrell
Kim Birrell (ranked 83rd) defeated world No. 5 Jessica Pegula 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. This was Birrell's first main-draw win at Roland-Garros.
Birrell stated she "tried to take it one point at a time" and was happy to play "probably the best match I've played on clay."
Medvedev is a former world No. 1 who reached the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros in 2021—this was his seventh first-round exit in ten visits. Walton had lost his previous four matches against top-10 opponents before his win at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters.
Australian Players Advance
Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur advanced to the second round after his opponent, Belgium's Alexander Blockx, withdrew due to a right ankle sprain sustained during practice.
Other Australian Results
- Australian No. 2 Alexei Popyrin lost to American Zachary Svajda 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7-3), 7-5 in the first round. Popyrin has dropped from world No. 19 in August 2024 to No. 61.
Other Notable Results
- Ben Shelton lost to Raphael Collignon
- Daria Kasatkina defeated Susan Bandecchi
Subsequent Rounds
- Kim Birrell lost to Oleksandra Oliynykova
- Adam Walton lost to Zachary Svajda
Tournament Implications
Sinner's loss opens opportunities for Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, and Alex de Minaur. Sinner lost the 2025 French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, who is absent from the 2026 tournament due to a wrist injury.
Upcoming Matches
- Adam Walton next faces Zachary Svajda
- Kim Birrell second-round opponent was Oleksandra Oliynykova