Top seed Jannik Sinner wilts, bounced from French Open

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner was one game away from advancing to the third round of the French Open on Thursday before it all fell apart.

Clearly struggling with the heat, Sinner squandered two chances to serve for the match before Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo ended his 30-match win streak with a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory in the clay courts at Roland Garrosin Paris.

Sinner, 24, was seeking his first French Open win, which would have given him the career Grand Slam.

The win seemed inevitable when Sinner jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set. But he lost seven of the next eight games despite chances to win.

With his clothes soaked through with sweat, Sinner bent over on the court and walked to his chair while serving for the match at 5-4 (0-40) in the third set. The Italian left the court and returned with an ice pack. His play went cold, however, losing the game and mustering just two more wins during the rest of the match.

"It's tough for him," Cerundolo said of Sinner. "I couldn't win more than three games in a set, so I was a little bit lucky. He deserved to win this match, and then I don't know what happened. But I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers."

The temperature at the start of the match was 84 degrees Fahrenheit. It rose to 90 as the match progressed.

Cerundolo, 24, advanced into the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. He will next face either Spaniard Martin Landaluce or Czech player Vit Kopriva.

--Field Level Media