By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - Jannik Sinner's stunning Roland Garros exit shattered what had shaped up as one of the most predictable French Opens since Rafa Nadal's era, throwing the men's draw wide open on Thursday to leave it as finely balanced as the women's field.
Sinner's 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerundolo was not just a collapse in a single match but the unravelling of a campaign that had seemed almost inevitable after he claimed titles in Monte
Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
The world number one arrived in Paris as the firm favourite, a tag long associated with retired 14-times champion Nadal, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz pulling out injured and three-times winner Novak Djokovic searching for his best form.
All of that went to dust in a collapse to Cerundolo on Court Philippe Chatrier, after Sinner held a two-sets lead and was up 5-1 in the third set, when the toll of a long claycourt season finally caught up with the Italian.
"I struggled, started to feel very dizzy," said Sinner, who will have to try next year to win a maiden French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam.
"I was very low of energy. I tried to serve it out (in the third set) but didn't have a lot of energy.
"I woke up this morning, didn't feel very well and tried to keep the points very short. Also in the beginning, I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just hit the wall, that's it."
MENTALLY STRONG
Cerundolo said he had needed to stay mentally strong while Sinner dealt with a range of problems, including what he believed was a bout of cramp, while his elder brother Francisco was rejuvenated by news of the win and beat Hugo Gaston 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1.
"I'm super happy with the match," the younger Cerundolo said after his monumental upset.
"The match was almost lost, but I stayed mentally (strong) during the whole match. I was prepared to battle as long as it took. I was lucky he had cramp and his level went down.
"I stayed mentally focused on the match, trying to do my best every ball. I'm super happy for the win."
While Sinner's loss left him contemplating a long period of rest ahead of his Wimbledon title defence, which begins on June 29 with Alcaraz ruled out, Djokovic will feel new energy in his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Second seed Alexander Zverev will be another player eyeing his big chance to win an elusive maiden major title after three trips to the finals, as will other hopefuls such as twice finalist Casper Ruud, Ben Shelton and Rafael Jodar.
Aryna Sabalenka made sure there were no more major surprises on a warm afternoon when the world number one downed French hope Elsa Jacquemot 7-5 6-2 while defending champion Coco Gauff eased past Egypt's Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-2.
Along with four-times champion Swiatek, Sabalenka and Gauff are the main contenders to capture the Suzanne Lenglen Cup after contesting the Paris final 12 months ago.
Former world number one Naomi Osaka is another player eager to be in the mix during the business end of the Grand Slam, and the Japanese player brought style and steel to defeat Donna Vekic 7-6(1) 6-4 and reach the third round.
Amanda Anisimova, a Paris semi-finalist as a teenager in 2019, went through after her opponent Julia Grabher retired with illness after being blanked in the opening set.
There was joy for French fans when teenager Moise Kouame defeated Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6(10-8) in a gripping contest lasting nearly five hours and he credited Alcaraz for inspiring him.
The 17-year-old Kouame, ranked 318th in the world and playing in his first Grand Slam courtesy of a wildcard, became the fifth-youngest man to make it to the third round at Roland Garros since the professional era began in 1968.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Editing by Clare Fallon)
