ATP Tour

Cerundolo's surreal mid-match realisation: 'Your brother won, your brother won!'

While Francisco Cerundolo was securing a four-set victory over Hugo Gaston at Roland Garros on Thursday, his younger brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo was authoring the biggest shock of the 2026 season on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Juan Manuel appeared on the brink of defeat against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, trailing by two sets and 1-5 in the third, before the match turned dramatically when Sinner began to struggle physically. The 24-year-old Argentine capitalised on the shift in momentum, producing a remarkable five-set comeback to turn the match on its head and create a landmark day for the Cerundolo family in Paris.

“It was an amazing day for the family, for me, for my brother, for everyone,” Francisco said after his own victory. “Before the matches, we say with the family that we have to split out, some to my brother, then some to me. But I told them, 'Okay, start with my brother, and then you see how it goes'. Then some can come to my match, then when he finishes, all come.

“I think when I started, he was down a set and 4-1 down. I kept playing and then I was at one set all, and I sat down. I looked up to my box, and my family wasn't there yet. I asked, ‘What's the score?’ They told me two to one in sets. Then I started playing. In the fourth one, I was going to the towel. People started screaming to me, ‘Your brother is winning, your brother is winning, keep going’.”

As Juan Manuel’s comeback gathered pace across Paris, word of his surge filtered through the stadiums, with the atmosphere on both courts increasingly shaped by updates from the other match.

“I was like, ‘Come on, boys, stop talking to me, because I'm playing the fourth set, I am super stressed here’. People started saying, ‘Your brother won, your brother won’. I was 3-1 up in the fourth and then I said, ‘Okay, if he wins, I have to win. Please focus, focus, focus’. It was tough to play the fourth set, but I'm super happy with the win.”

While Francisco is into the third round at Roland Garros for the third time in his career, Juan Manuel’s victory over Sinner represents a breakthrough moment for the younger Cerundolo brother, who is into the third round of a major for the first time.

Although Sinner, who twice failed to serve out the match, had been in control for large stretches, Juan Manuel gradually worked his way into the contest before taking full advantage as the Italian’s level dropped. The No. 56 player in the PIF ATP Rankings ensured it was a memorable day for the Cerundolo family, with both brothers extending their runs in Paris.

It marks just the third time in the Open Era that a pair of brothers have reached the third round at Roland Garros, following Gene Mayer and Sandy Mayer in 1979, and Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev in 2018.

“I’m super happy for him because I know how much he worked, how much he loves tennis,” Francisco said of his brother. “He puts all the work in every day. I think he’s having a great year, after last year when he was also good. He really deserves to be in the third round of a Grand Slam. He beat the World No. 1, although he [Sinner] wasn’t feeling good. But it’s tough.”