Jannik Sinner continues his quest for a first French Open title. He is set to face Juan Manuel Cerundolo as Aryna Sabalenka also seeks to progress into the last 32 at Roland Garros.
Sinner’s French Open Journey
Sinner arrives in Paris after winning all three clay-court Masters titles. He is only the second player after Novak Djokovic to complete the set of nine 1000-level tournaments. After an efficient first-round win, Sinner aims to seal his last-32 berth when he opens play against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Sinner’s only previous meeting with the Argentinian, ranked 56th, was a straight-sets win in the round of 128 at Wimbledon three years ago. He stated he is happy to play day or night, as talk of the conditions in Paris continues.
Sinner said he handled the heat very well in Indian Wells this year. He added that they prepared in a good way and the humidity is not as tough as in Australia or the US.
Sabalenka’s Performance
Sabalenka’s dominance of the women’s tour has faltered somewhat this clay-court season. After winning the “Sunshine double” at Indian Wells and Miami, the Belarusian endured a disappointing swing on the red dirt in Europe. A quarter-final loss to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid was followed by a third-round exit to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open.
Sabalenka said that the conditions in Italy were not favourable to her style of play, but has had no such complaints in Paris. She joked that it was a bit warm after her opening win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, especially compared to the first, freezing days.
Sabalenka added that now it’s boiling hot and balls are flying much faster. She feels physically strong, so feels like it can benefit her. Sabalenka will be confident that her power-hitting baseline game will be too hot to handle for French world No. 67 Elsa Jacquemot as she seeks to book her spot in the third round.
Sinner currently stands head and shoulders above his closest competitors as he attempts to go one better than his epic five-set final loss in 2025 to Carlos Alcaraz.