Roland Garros - 29/05

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Today is Friday, May 29, in Paris it's 08:30 and it's 22 degrees. Ok, let's go.

Today for breakfast

• 🇦🇷 Cerundolo comes back from two sets down against Sinner and ends the world number one's 30-match winning streak
• 🇮🇹 Berrettini dispatches Rinderknech in three sets and will face Comesaña in the third round
• 🇮🇹 Arnaldi ousts Tsitsipas in four, Shelton out against Collignon
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka, 🇺🇸 Gauff and 🇯🇵 Osaka advance without too much fuss
• 🇷🇸 Today Djokovic-Fonseca on Chatrier, Zverev in the night session

WHAT HAPPENED:

🇦🇷 Cerundolo Stops Sinner From Two Sets Down

Juan Manuel Cerundolo, world number 56, beat Jannik Sinner 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 on Chatrier in 33-degree heat, ending a 30-match winning streak by the world number one. Sinner was up 5-1 in the third set, then started suffering cramps and a dizzy spell that slowed him down until he lost control of the rallies, while the Argentine took more and more of the court game after game. What remains is that the streak ended at precisely the tournament where clay keeps asking something different of him. It will be interesting to understand, in the coming days, how much of the collapse was physical and how much instead belongs to a tournament that welcomed him as a major favorite but never grants him a simple trajectory.

🇮🇹 Berrettini Wraps Up The Rinderknech Job

Matteo Berrettini won 6-4 6-4 6-4 against Arthur Rinderknech in the night session on Chatrier, managing the home crowd lined up behind the Frenchman without ever conceding a break. Three sets all closed with the same score tell of a linear match more than a spectacular one, and it's probably the best way the Italian could have put away a potentially tricky second round. In the third round he'll face Argentine Francisco Comesaña, who came through a five-set battle with Darderi, and with Sinner's exit he suddenly finds himself the most anticipated Italian player left in the draw. It's not the expected script, but it's one of those passages that sometimes help bring something out.

🇮🇹 Arnaldi Sends Tsitsipas Home

Matteo Arnaldi eliminated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(2) 5-7 6-3 6-2, reaching the third round at the expense of the 2021 finalist. After his first round ended early due to Muller's retirement, the Greek had not yet given reliable indications of his condition, and this match delivered them all at once. Arnaldi held the level when the match grew long, and it's the kind of win that, against someone like Tsitsipas in Paris, counts double for what it certifies about the Italian's growth margin on clay.

🇧🇪 Collignon Overturns Shelton

Raphael Collignon, world number 62, beat Ben Shelton 6-4 7-5 6-4, eliminating the ATP's number five seed. For the Belgian it's his first career win against a top 5 (and his second against a top 10, after de Minaur in the 2025 Davis Cup), while for Shelton, Roland Garros continues to be the tournament that least suits his game, built around shots that clay tends to absorb rather than amplify. Three sets lost without managing to build an alternative plan also say something about the American's still-significant margin to cover on clay.

🇧🇾 Sabalenka And 🇺🇸 Gauff Without Drama

Aryna Sabalenka got past Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot 7-5 6-2, while Coco Gauff dispatched Egyptian Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-2 on Lenglen. For the top seed, the first set was the most uncomfortable moment of the day, with the home crowd trying to complicate the evening. Gauff, as defending champion, moved through the match with the kind of operational calm that has become her signature in Paris over the last two years. Naomi Osaka, for her part, beat Donna Vekic 7-6(1) 6-4 and reached the third round for the first time since 2019, which is the figure that stands out more than any tactical consideration.

WHAT HAPPENS TODAY:

• 🇵🇱 Swiatek - Linette (WTA, third round) - Iga Swiatek opens the schedule on Chatrier at 11:00 in a Polish derby against Magda Linette. On Paris clay she remains the benchmark, and these rounds serve her mainly to lock in her rhythm before the second week.
• 🇷🇸 Djokovic - Fonseca (ATP, third round) - Novak Djokovic meets Joao Fonseca again on Chatrier after 15:30, in what is the most anticipated match of the day. For the nineteen-year-old Brazilian, it's the stage on which you usually figure out where a young player of this talent truly stands.
• 🇨🇿 Andreeva - Bouzkova (WTA, third round) - Mirra Andreeva, the eighth seed, faces Marie Bouzkova on Chatrier before the men's match. It's one of those matches where the difference is made by holding up in long rallies more than by the decisive shot.
• 🇳🇴 Ruud - Paul (ATP, third round) - Casper Ruud takes on Tommy Paul on Lenglen in a meeting between two players who have built different tournaments on clay. The Norwegian, twice a finalist here, against an American who in Paris has always known how to stay in the match.
• 🇵🇹 Borges - Rublev (ATP, third round) - Nuno Borges opens Lenglen against Andrey Rublev, the twelfth seed. On clay Rublev remains one of the hardest players to read, capable of opposite performances days apart.
• 🇩🇪 Zverev - Halys (ATP, third round, night session) - Alexander Zverev closes the day on Chatrier at 20:15 against Frenchman Quentin Halys. With Sinner's exit, the top half of the draw is reorganizing, and every step the German takes now carries a different weight.

Read more

• Roland-Garros 2026: Jannik Sinner out of French Open in injury-hampered exit
• RG Live: Thursday May 28
• Schedule for Friday, May 29th at Roland Garros 2026: Djokovic - Fonseca, Jódar, Carreño
• Top 10 must-watch second round meetings
• Roland Garros 2026 schedule and results

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast