May 28 (Reuters) – Argentine 25th-seed Francisco Cerundolo was trying to survive his own French Open match on Thursday when fans began shouting updates from the next court, where his brother was producing a massive shock against world number one Jannik Sinner.
“‘Your brother is winning, your brother is winning,'” Francisco said spectators shouted to him during towel breaks as younger sibling Juan Manuel Cerundolo was mounting a stunning comeback against four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner.
Francisco recovered from a set down to beat Frenchman Hugo Gaston 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 and reach the third round, while Juan Manuel rallied from two sets down to stun Sinner 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1.
The defeat ended Sinner’s 30-match winning streak and his bid for a maiden French Open title and a career Grand Slam.
The Italian had arrived in Paris as the overwhelming favourite after winning Masters titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome this season, but the top seed faded physically after leading 5-1 in the third set.
Francisco, who was giving a Spanish-language interview to ESPN after reaching the third round himself, said he only gradually realised what was unfolding on the neighbouring court.
“I had no idea,” Francisco said. “I was suffering in my own match and people kept telling me, ‘Your brother won, your brother won’.
“And I was thinking, ‘Damn it, now I have to win too because I can’t fail now.'”
Francisco, who has two career wins against Sinner, said he initially thought Juan Manuel was heading for defeat after family members split courts earlier in the day.
“I looked up and my family still wasn’t there,” he said. “I asked what happened and they told me he was two sets to one down. I said, ‘Okay, good, he’s fighting.'”
Juan Manuel, ranked 56 in the world, turned the match around after Sinner struggled physically late in the third set and faded badly from then on.
Francisco said the brothers would now celebrate together after both reached the third round at Roland Garros for the first time.
“It’s more than a dream,” he said. “A huge pride for all the family.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico CityEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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