Roland-Garros 2026 will be remembered as the edition that shattered every certainty. From the second round to the final, each day delivered its own earthquake.
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The first shock came in the second round. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, chasing the only major title missing from his collection, led Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2, 5-1. What followed will live in infamy: struck by heat exhaustion in 32-degree temperatures, the Italian won just two of the final twenty games. Cerundolo, ranked 56th, became the first player to eliminate the top seed before the third round since Karol Kucera in 2000. Sinner's thirty-match winning streak ended in the cruelest fashion.
Then came Novak Djokovic's turn. The twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion fell to João Fonseca, 19, after leading by two sets to love. The Brazilian became the first teenager in history to defeat Djokovic at a major.
For the first time since 1968, no former champion reached the men's last four. Alexander Zverev, the 2024 finalist, became the most experienced player left standing. Alongside him: Jakub Menšík, 20, Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli, all first-time Grand Slam semifinalists.
The women's draw delivered equal drama. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka crumbled in the quarterfinals against Diana Shnaider, declaring afterward: "I want to quit tennis." Maja Chwalińska, a qualifier, strung together nine consecutive victories to become the first qualifier in history to reach the Roland-Garros final. Waiting for her on Saturday: Mirra Andreeva, 19, in a clash of first-timers.
Three Italian men in the quarterfinals, a qualifier in the women's final, two teenagers toppling legends: the numbers from this 2026 edition defy belief. This Roland-Garros crowned no favorites. It crowned audacity.
