French Open: Berrettini avenged Jannik Sinner, eliminated Cerundolo in straight sets

World No.1 Jannik Sinner got revenge on his Italian compatriot Matteo Berrettini after the latter knocked Juan Manuel Cerundolo out of the French Open. Playing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Berrettini completed the job in two hours and 32 minutes, winning in straight sets to end the Argentine’s impressive run.

On Monday, Berrettini reached the French Open quarterfinals for the second time, beating Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6), matching his best result at Roland Garros. The victory marked a remarkable revival for Berrettini, who had missed the previous four editions of Roland Garros due to a series of injuries.

The Italian, who arrived in Paris ranked 105th in the world, put together one of the stories of the tournament to become the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist at Roland Garros since 2007.

Berrettini’s run was built on resilience. He saved two match points against Francisco Comesano in the third round to keep his campaign alive. Against Cerundolo, he again showed his fighting qualities, saving three set points in the third set before coming through on his first match point to seal victory.

The Italian’s win also carried an element of revenge. Cerundolo was one of the biggest stories of the tournament after stunning world number one Jannik Sinner in the second round. The Argentine rallied from two sets down to knock out the top seeds in one of the shocks of the fortnight, earning widespread praise for his fearless shooting and stamina.

However, Cerundolo’s breakout run seemed to catch up to him in the fourth round. The Argentine spent more than 12 hours on court before facing Berrettini, including a grueling five-set victory over Martin Landaluc that lasted five hours and 58 minutes, the third-longest match in Roland Garros history. Cerundolo reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career and struggled to match Berrettini’s consistency at crucial moments.

While the Argentine fought hard in the second and third sets, Berrettini stayed level in both tie-breaks and used his powerful serve and forehand to close out the match in straight sets.

The former Wimbledon finalist will now continue her remarkable comeback story when she takes on American Frances Tiafoe or fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi for a place in the semi-finals.

AUGER-ALIASSIME MAKES CANADIAN HISTORY

Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his impressive run at Roland Garros by beating Alejandro Tabil of Chile 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals. The victory made Auger-Aliassime the first Canadian to reach the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

The world number six cruised through the opening set before Tabilo raised his level in the second. However, Auger-Aliassime grabbed a decisive break in the 11th game and comfortably served out the set to get within touching distance of victory.

The fourth seed then dominated the third set to seal the match in style, looking fresh despite enduring the opening five-set and two four-set matches earlier in the tournament.

Auger-Aliassime will next face Flavio Cobolli, who advanced after defeating American Zachary Svajda.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

1 Jun 2026 23:21 IST