Roland-Garros: Overwhelmed favorite Sinner falls victim to his body. A crushing blow at Roland-Garros! World No. 1 and overwhelming favorite Jannik Sinner, who had "no energy" on Thursday, was stunned in the second round by Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo (No. 56), who won in five sets 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. Leading two sets to love and 5-2 in the third set in the sweltering heat of Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 24-year-old Italian collapsed and let victory slip away. The overwhelming favorite in the absence of two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner will not reach the second week, despite an incredible 30-match winning streak following his titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome this year. This accumulation of tournaments may have taken its toll. “Nobody’s a robot,” he said. “Today I had no energy, and that can happen. Nobody’s a robot,” he explained in a press conference. Often compared to an automaton because he usually crushes the competition, even he has off days: “I had some difficulties. I felt unwell, my head was spinning,” he noted. The Italian, however, didn’t blame the heatwave: “It was hot, but not that hot. The conditions were good for playing. So I have nothing to say about the heat.” “I woke up this morning, I already wasn’t feeling very well, and I tried to shorten the rallies. At first, it worked well, the shots were flowing, and then, all of a sudden, I reached my limits,” he summarized. He hadn't exited a Grand Slam this early since Roland Garros 2023. Defeated in an epic final last year by his rival Alcaraz, Sinner will therefore not benefit from the Spaniard's withdrawal to win the only Grand Slam title missing from his collection. His defeat opens up opportunities for Novak Djokovic, seeking his 25th Grand Slam title, and Alexander Zverev, the No. 2 seed aiming for his first-ever Major. - "Weak" - In the third set, after losing 15 points in a row, the Italian sat down on the advertising boards to the side of the court to regain his composure at 4-5, 0-40 after more than two hours of play. The umpire came down to check on him, and the Italian replied that he didn't know if it was "dehydration" or something else, as he was using his racket like a cane for support, seemingly suffering from cramps. The Italian received treatment from a trainer before heading to the locker room for several minutes. Things went from bad to worse for the world number one. The world's best player racked up unforced errors, unable to come to the net to hit drop shots, using every brief pause to stretch, painfully leaning on his racket, and every change of ends to slap an ice pack on his neck or pour a bottle over his head, looking dazed. "I was completely flat, my whole body. I can't remember the last time I felt so weak," he admitted. The other sensation of the day was French: 17-year-old Moïse Kouame emerged victorious from an epic battle lasting nearly five hours against Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8). In his first French Open match, on a sun-drenched and electric Suzanne-Lenglen court, the Sarcelles native, considered the great hope of French tennis, dug deep to overturn a 5-2 deficit in the final set. He will play Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (36th) in the third round. AFP