French Open Descends Into Chaos as Djokovic, Sinner Fall

19-year-old Brazilian sensation João Fonseca pictured at the 2026 Miami Open.

The 2026 French Open has become a tournament of upsets in just the first week.

By Friday night in Paris, the men’s draw had lost both the world No. 1 and the sport’s most decorated champion. The women’s bracket continued shedding major seeds. Temperatures climbed into the 90s.

Then came the moment that transformed the tournament from unpredictable to historic.

João Fonseca, the 19-year-old Brazilian sensation, defeated Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller under the lights at Court Philippe-Chatrier, producing the biggest victory of his career and perhaps the defining upset of the tournament so far.

With Carlos Alcaraz already absent through injury and Jannik Sinner eliminated earlier in the week, the French Open suddenly finds itself without the three dominant figures expected to control the men’s game.

Men’s Singles: The Old Order Collapses

For much of the first week, Sinner’s extraordinary collapse against Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerúndolo appeared impossible to top.

The world No. 1 had led by two sets and 5-1 before physically unraveling in the Paris heat, eventually losing in five sets after winning only two of the final 20 games.

That defeat alone blew open the tournament, but Friday night detonated it completely.

Djokovic entered his match on Friday as the overwhelming favorite after Alcaraz’s withdrawal and Sinner’s exit. The Serbian legend, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at age 39, appeared positioned for one final major run.

However, he still had to pass the test of the young Brazilian. Fonseca attacked relentlessly from the baseline, matching Djokovic physically and eventually overwhelming him with pace and composure deep into the deciding set. The atmosphere inside Chatrier shifted from reverence for Djokovic to full belief in the teenager capable of ending his campaign.

Only a handful of top seeds remain standing after a week of sustained upheaval. Alex de Minaur became another casualty Friday after losing to 2025 Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik despite winning the first set 6-0. American Ben Shelton exited earlier against Raphael Collignon. Stefanos Tsitsipas fell to Matteo Arnaldi. Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in five sets by Australia’s Adam Walton.

Fonseca now joins Mensik and French teenager Moïse Kouamé as breakout stars of the fortnight, a symbolic changing of the guard unfolding in real time on the Paris clay.

For the first time in years, a new champion will be crowned on the men’s side.

Women’s Singles: Favorites Hold Firm

The women’s draw has retained more of its favorites, though not without significant damage.

American Jessica Pegula’s opening-round defeat to Australia’s Kimberly Birrell remains one of the tournament’s defining shocks. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen followed her out soon afterward with an upset loss to qualifier Maja Chwalińska.

Former Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina suffered one of the tournament’s biggest shocks when the second seed blew a set lead against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, eventually falling 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-4) in a dramatic second-round upset that further dismantled the women’s draw.

Friday brought another major surprise when Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann eliminated 10th seed Karolína Muchová in straight sets, continuing the steady destruction of seeded players outside the top tier.

Yet while much of the field has destabilized, the biggest favorites are beginning to impose themselves.

Iga Świątek continues to look increasingly dangerous at the tournament she has dominated for years. She advanced again Friday with another controlled straight-sets performance, reinforcing her status as the woman to beat in Paris.

Defending champion Coco Gauff has similarly moved through the draw with confidence, while Aryna Sabalenka’s game has translated effectively despite the difficult conditions.

Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, has quietly emerged as one of the more intriguing stories remaining in the tournament, producing some of her most convincing clay-court tennis in years.

Still, even the women’s tournament has developed an uneasy atmosphere beyond the results themselves.

Only one week into the French Open, the assumptions that shaped the tournament have already collapsed. Who will claim their first ever Grand Slam on the men’s side? Who will be crowned champion among the women?