Preview: French Open: Jannik Sinner vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Fresh off recording his 30th consecutive win, Roland Garros favourite Jannik Sinner faces Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round on Thursday.

The Italian superstar was largely untroubled as he breezed past Frenchman Clement Tabur in just over two hours, and he will now take on Cerundolo, who played clutch tennis to edge out Jacob Fearnley in two hours and 54 minutes.

Match preview

Twenty-nine consecutive wins became 30 for Sinner on Tuesday, as he avoided any slip-up on his return to Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The world No 1’s last appearance in a competitive match on a clay court brought possibly the most chastening defeat of his career in last year’s championship match against friendly rival Carlos Alcaraz, who saved three match points in a thrilling final.

Without the Spanish sensation participating this year, Sinner carries the burden of being the standalone favourite, although Novak Djokovic and possibly Alexander Zverev remain contenders.

Looking to avoid any hangover from becoming the youngest player to win the Career Golden Masters, the top seed gave very little away on serve — he faced zero break points — and converted five of the 13 opportunities engineered on Tabur’s deliveries.

Tuesday’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 success marked the sixth consecutive time that Sinner has avoided a tournament-opening loss in Paris, and the Roland Garros favourite, whose last two appearances have brought semi-final and final runs, aims to avoid his earliest elimination since 2023.

Cerundolo will stand in the world No 1's way on Thursday, with the Argentinian playing clutch tennis on the big points to edge out two tiebreaks.

The 24-year-old left-hander may have claimed a straight-sets win over Fearnley, but the victory was far from straightforward, evidenced by sets two and three going the distance.

It was the world No 54, though, who edged it 6-2, 7-6(0), 7-6(7) in just under three hours to advance to the second round in the French capital.

Having also made it to the same stage 12 months ago, equalling his 2023 US Open run, Cerundolo takes on the most in-form player on the men's tour, aiming to break new ground and blow the draw wide open by snapping Sinner's winning streak.

It will be easier said than done, though, especially since the left-hander has yet to defeat a top-10 opponent so far in his career.

Tournament so far

Jannik Sinner:

First round: vs. Clement Tabur 6-1 6-3 6-4

Juan Manuel Cerundolo:

First round: vs. Jacob Fearnley 6-2 7-6[0] 7-6[7]

Head To Head

Wimbledon (2023) - First round: Sinner 6-2 6-2 6-2

Sinner leads Cerundolo 1-0 in their head-to-head, ahead of the players' second meeting on the ATP Tour.

The Italian claimed their first encounter at Wimbledon three years ago, dropping just six games en route to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 success.

Much has changed for both men since, with Sinner now effectively the best player these days and Cerundolo making a play for the top 50.

We say: Sinner to win in three sets

While Cerundolo heads into Thursday's match having never defeated a top-10 opponent, Sinner's record against players outside the top 50 is significantly more striking.

The Italian has not lost to one in three years since Dusan Lajovic stunned him in Cincinnati in 2023.

Sinner has won 59 consecutive matches against such opponents, and he is tipped to make light work of another to extend his ongoing winning streak to 31 matches.