Juan Manuel Cerúndolo Wins Longest French Open Match in Years

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo just won a tennis match by a single point after playing for nearly six hours, and somehow that's not even the most remarkable thing he did this week.

The 24-year-old Argentine defeated Spain's Martín Landaluce 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(10-8) at the French Open on Saturday, rallying from 6-8 down in the final tiebreak to claim victory. The marathon lasted five hours and 57 minutes, making it the longest match at Roland Garros since the tournament introduced fifth-set super tiebreaks in 2022.

The final scoreboard told the story of just how close it was. Cerúndolo won 214 points. Landaluce won 213.

The win came just two days after Cerúndolo pulled off the upset of the tournament, coming back from two sets down to defeat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In that Thursday match, the world No. 56 recovered from a 3-6, 2-6 deficit to win 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 as the Italian struggled in the Paris heat.

Those back-to-back wins launched Cerúndolo into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. They also guaranteed he'll crack the top 50 ATP rankings for the first time, climbing to a live ranking of No. 44.

The breakthrough feels especially sweet considering what happened earlier that same Saturday. His older brother Francisco, the 25th seed and long considered Argentina's best hope for a deep clay-court run, fell to American Zachary Svajda in five sets.

Why This Inspires

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo's story shows what happens when you refuse to give up, even when the scoreboard says you should. Trailing 6-8 in a deciding-set tiebreak after nearly six hours on court would break most players mentally and physically, but he won the final four points when it mattered most.

His reward for surviving is a fourth-round matchup against Italy's Matteo Berrettini, who ended another Argentine's run earlier in the day. With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Sinner now eliminated, the draw has opened wide for a first-time major champion.

Cerúndolo walked onto court this week ranked 56th in the world and overshadowed by his more accomplished older brother. He's leaving as one of the tournament's biggest stories, having proven that rankings and reputations mean nothing when someone decides their moment has arrived.