Jannik Sinner's bid for a maiden French Open title ended before it had barely started as he experienced physical issues in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, falling to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat on a scorching Thursday.
Sinner won the opening two sets with ease and was up 5-1 in the third set before dropping three games and asking for medical treatment off the court, only to lose two straight sets before going down in the decider.
The World No 1 looked to be cruising to victory over Argentinian Cerundolo but his tolerance for the conditions evaporated within sight of the finish line.
Sinner's loss blows the men's tournament at Roland Garros wide open, with 39-year-old Novak Djokovic the only player left to have claimed a Grand Slam title.
It also means, for the first time since Djokovic's US Open win in 2023, a major crown will be claimed by someone other than Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.
From 5-1 in the third set and potentially a minute away from the locker room, Sinner sensationally lost 18 points in a row to trail 0-40 serving for the match a second time at 5-4.
He sat on the advertising hoardings at the side of the court for several seconds, prompting umpire Aurelie Tourte to come down from her chair and enter a discussion with the Italian.
Sinner was attended to by medical staff and was allowed to leave court after saying he felt sick to have his condition assessed and blood pressure taken before returning and losing three more games and the set.
It is unusual for players in such scenarios to leave the court, with heat-related cramp deemed a loss of condition for which a medical timeout cannot be received.
Sinner did not take a timeout but the assessment took several minutes, and former British No 1 Tim Henman said on TNT Sports: “The umpire shouldn't be getting off her chair. It's not her responsibility, that's the player's responsibility.
“I don't see why he should get the benefit of going into an air-conditioned room.”
Sinner then took a permitted break to change his clothes at the end of the set and appeared in slightly better shape but his movement around the court was still extremely laboured and Cerundolo cruised through the fourth set.
Sinner tried to recover, blowing a fan on to his face and drinking from what appeared to be a can of cola, but there was no way back.
His opponent said it was a tough result.
“It's tough for him. He was winning the match. I couldn't win more than three games [in the first two sets],” said Cerundolo.
“I think I was a little bit lucky, I feel sorry for him … he was serving to win this match, but then I don't know what happened. I think he was cramping maybe, or maybe it was the pressure of the match, I don't know.
“But of course I feel sorry for him and I hope he recovers. I'm super happy. I'm going to keep trying to play my best … I hope to be ready for the next match.”
