Juan Manuel Cerundolo defeated Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round of the French Open.
His brother, Francisco Cerundolo, will join him in round three after beating Hugo Gaston, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
Where does Jannik Sinner’s defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo rank among the most shocking results in tennis history?
The older of the two, Francisco Cerundolo, was told about his younger brother’s upset win during his post-match interview, but he already knew…
Francisco Cerundolo says his brother ‘really deserves’ to be in the French Open third round
“No, no, when I won the match, I watched my family, and they were saying two out of two, you know,” said Cerundolo.
“People in the crowd were telling me during the match, ‘Your brother won, your brother won.’ I was trying to focus here!
“I mean, what can I say? I’m super happy for him.
“I know how much he works, how much he loves tennis.
“He puts all the work in every day. I think he’s having a great year after last year, which was also good.
“He really deserves to be in the third round of a Grand Slam. He beat the number one in the world, although he wasn’t feeling good or whatever, but it’s tough. I think he was two sets down; it’s never easy.
“I’m super happy for him because I know how hard he worked over the years to get this win.”
Cerundolo was then asked how they plan to celebrate their wins.
“Well, I don’t know, to be honest,” he said.
“It’s also my cousin’s birthday, so it’s a three out of three you know, it’s a gift for her!
“I don’t know, I think we gave her the best gift; they are not going back to Argentina; they are staying here in Paris, that’s a way to celebrate!”
The Cerundolo family have a lot to look forward to, as the brothers prepare for their third-round matches.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo will play Spain’s Martin Landaluce, while Francisco Cerundolo takes on Zachary Svajda.
Comparing Francisco Cerundolo and Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s career achievements
The Cerundolo brothers are enjoying themselves in Paris, but just how much have they achieved so far in their careers?
Francisco Cerundolo has been ranked inside the world’s top 20 and already has four titles to his name.
Francisco Cerundolo’s career achievements
- ATP Ranking – 26
- Live ATP Ranking – 23
- Career-high ATP Ranking – 18
- ATP Titles – 4 (2022 Swedish Open, 2023 Eastbourne International, 2024 Croatia Open, 2026 Argentina Open)
Francisco Cerundolo’s Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| Australian Open | Q2 | Q1 | 3R | 2R | 3R | 4R |
| French Open | 1R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R* |
| Wimbledon | Q3 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | – |
| US Open | Q3 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | – |
He is, however, yet to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, something he will be looking to achieve at Roland Garros.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo, on the other hand, has never been ranked inside the top-50.
But if other results go his way, or he wins his third-round match at the French Open, he will make that breakthrough next month.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s career achievements
- ATP Ranking – 54
- Live ATP Ranking – 49
- Career-high ATP Ranking – 54
- ATP Titles – 1 (2021 Cordoba Open)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| Australian Open | – | 1R | – | Q1 | Q1 | 1R |
| French Open | Q3 | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 2R | 3R* |
| Wimbledon | Q1 | – | 1R | – | Q1 | – |
| US Open | – | – | 2R | Q1 | Q2 | – |
Only time will tell what the future holds for the Argentines, but it will certainly be interesting to see how far they can go at the French Open.
For fans looking for another Valentin Vacherot vs Arthur Rinderknech family affair final, they will be disappointed to discover that the Cerundolo brothers are on the same half of the draw.
They could, however, meet in the semi-finals…
Neither player will want to get ahead of themselves thinking about the semi-finals just yet, though, and will now turn their attention to round three.
Both Cerundolo brothers will play their third-round matches on Saturday, May 30.
