Sinner and Sabalenka meltdowns made it a French Open full of surprises

PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner and his 30-match winning streak melted away during the opening week’s heat wave.

Fellow No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka had just as astonishing a mental meltdown during a quarterfinal defeat in which she described finding herself in a “very deep, deep, dark hole.”

No former major champions reached the men’s and women’s semifinals for the first time at a Grand Slam in 49 years.

The French Open that concludes this weekend has been unlike any other major tournament in recent memory.

“It’s always exciting when crazy things happen,” said Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion who reached the fourth round. “As a tennis fan, it’s been fun to watch.”

Here’s a look at some of the more surprising developments that have characterized Roland Garros this year:

With the temperature rising to at least 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) every day of the first week, players struggled to keep cool.

After Jakub Mensik edged Mariano Navone in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the second round, he cramped up and fell to the clay following match point and required medical attention on the court. He was eventually removed in a wheelchair.

Mensik bounced back to reach the semifinals, where he lost to Alexander Zverev, who will meet Flavio Cobolli in Sunday’s final.

Two-time runner-up Casper Ruud was on the verge of passing out during a five-set win over Roman Safiullin in the first round, saying he felt “like a zombie almost.”

Ruud conceded the fourth set 6-0 “to get my pulse and body temperature down” to see if he could recover in the fifth: "Luckily that ended up working.”

Groundskeepers at Roland Garros had to literally drench the clay courts with water at night to keep them from drying out during the day.

Still, the heat made for entirely different conditions from normal: The pace of play was faster and balls were bouncing higher.

Already without two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the tournament with an injured right wrist, it was a shock when Sinner wasted a two-set and 5-1 lead in the third against 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.

The top-ranked Sinner came to Paris on a 29-match winning streak and was an overwhelming favorite for the title. But the Italian said he started feeling dizzy and “very low on energy” when he needed to win just one more game against Cerundolo.

Sinner won just two of the next 18 games as he struggled to cool himself with bags of ice and a hand-held fan on changeovers.

“I just kind of hit the wall,” Sinner said.

A day later it was a match for the ages when 39-year-old Novak Djokovic also surrendered a two-set advantage and lost to 19-year-old João Fonseca.

Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, also had physical issues on another hot day.

“I was barely standing on my legs toward the end of the match,” he said.

Fonseca beat Ruud in the next round before his breakthrough performance ended with a loss to Mensik in the quarterfinals.

Sabalenka was leading 4-1 in the second set of her quarterfinal with Diana Shnaider and was within two points of victory when she proceeded to lose 12 of 13 games.

Sabalenka said later that she wanted “to quit tennis right now.

“You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything,” she added. “Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help. Maybe not.”

Shnaider then went on to lose in the semifinals to Maja Chwalinska, who became the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the championship match.

Mirra Andreeva beat Chwalinska for the title Saturday.

“I don’t know when was the last time that happened to me that I lost 10 games in a row,” Sabalenka said. “Mentally I got into a very deep, deep, dark hole. … I just couldn’t get back mentally on track.”

The 14th-ranked Flavio Cobolli reached his first Grand Slam final with the help of a retirement and withdrawal by two fellow Italians.

Matteo Berrettini retired because of a left hip injury with Cobolli leading 7-5, 5-2 in their quarterfinal and then Matteo Arnaldi withdrew before their semifinal because of a virus.

Zverev will be playing in his fourth major final on Sunday as he seeks an elusive Grand Slam title to conclude this wacky tournament.

Whoever raises the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy will become the first man other than Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic or Rafael Nadal to win a Grand Slam since Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 U.S. Open.

“We’ve had so many long eras of these four people are the only people that we think are going to win," Keys said. “Makes the sport interesting, at least.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Italy's Flavio Cobolli reacts after winning the quarterfinal tennis match against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts as he plays against Joao Fonseca of Brazil during their third round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing the quarterfinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts as he cools himself with the water during a break at the second round men's singles tennis match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Thursday, May 28, 2026, as temperature rises up to 33 C (91 F). (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Golden Tempo showed exactly why he is a great closer, and his stretch run at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday delivered more history for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz from 12 lengths off the lead, Golden Tempo surged from the back of the pack to win the 158th rendition of the race. The victory came five weeks after his last-to-first charge to win the Kentucky Derby.

“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” said DeVaux. “I think he needed to do this to kind of show that he was meant to win the Derby and that he is a horse that belongs in that conversation of being one of the top 3-year-olds.”

Golden Tempo held off Commandment to win by a length and a quarter at odds of 6-1. Commandment was second and favorite Renegade placed third.

“I followed them closely in the second turn,” Ortiz said. “They started to pick it up, so I did as well. I was just waiting for the right time to go all in. When I asked him to go, my horse responded.”

DeVaux, after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, is the second in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci won it with Arcangelo in 2023. DeVaux is the first woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.

“It’s overwhelming,” DeVaux said. “All the credit goes to Golden Tempo, who won the race, and Jose did a wonderful job of making it happen. But I’m just so fortunate to be in this position. It’s history-making, and I’ve kind of shied away from it, but I’m really grateful that I am that person.”

DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career there, but she doesn’t call herself a Saratoga native. She spends most of her time in Kentucky now and said she grew up in southern Florida. But after all the support she’s received from the town, she has started to embrace it.

“Everyone is kind of calling me the hometown girl,” DeVaux said. “So that’s kind of fun. I’m going to miss our appetizer (at) Saratoga, as we call it, the ‘Bellatoga.’”

Golden Tempo was the third choice in the race. There were concerns about whether he could pull off another big comeback win in a field that included Renegade. The Todd Pletcher-trained horse finished second to Golden Tempo by a neck in the Derby.

The pace was not nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo still was able to close in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49. It didn’t matter, as he was the best in the field of nine horses.

“He wasn’t going to get that setup as he did in the Derby,” Ortiz said. “We all knew that, and I was a little worried about it. He needed some kind of setup. But today, there wasn’t one and he showed up today and won.”

Golden Tempo won two-thirds of the Triple Crown after DeVaux and owners decided to bypass the Preakness. He is the second horse in as many years to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont after not running in the middle jewel.

“We made our decision, and we won today and we’re going to be happy about that,” DeVaux said.

This was the third and final time for the Belmont at Saratoga in upstate New York, while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island is getting demolished and rebuilt. Run at 1 1/4 miles because of the track at Saratoga, the race is set to return to Belmont Park next year when it will return to its traditional 1 1/2-mile distance.

“It’s so meaningful,” DeVaux said. ”A lot of family here. Saratoga, it’s been wonderful to have such a historic race here. ... It’s so meaningful because the town gets to have this and celebrate it along with us.”

Golden Tempo paid $14 to win, $7.32 to place and $3.88 to show. Commandment paid $7.02 to show and $4.08 to place, while Renegade paid $2.52 to place.

Ortiz followed Renegade, ridden by older brother Irad, just as he did in the Derby. It worked out just the same in the first Saturday in June as the first Saturday in May.

“He was bouncing a bit today, which made me very happy because I wanted him to be a little bit sharper today,” Jose Ortiz said. “You can see him, he’s very relaxed. He does what I ask him to do. That’s the main thing.”

Co-owner Vinnie Viola dedicated the race to his late friend Dominic DiPrisco, who died Wednesday at age 70. Viola prayed to DiPrisco Saturday morning, hoping for an extra push in the Belmont Stakes.

“I know you’re in heaven, and I love you, and this race is for you,” Viola said. “It means more than I can express in words right now.”

Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes for the second time, nine years after his first aboard Tapwrit in 2017.

“We just wanted him to get better and keep winning these kinds of races,” Ortiz said. “We’re very happy with him. It’s all about him.”

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

Trainer Cherie DeVaux, center, with Jockey Jose Ortiz, left, holds the trophy after Golden Tempo won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Trainer Cherie DeVaux, right, greet Golden Tempo (9) and Jockey Jose Ortiz after they won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockey Jose Ortiz celebrates aboard Golden Tempo as they are led to the winner's circle after winning the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockey Jose Ortiz celebrates as he crosses the finish line aboard Golden Tempo (9) to win the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Golden Tempo (9) with Jockey Jose Ortiz crosses the finish line to win the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Spectators watch the second race of the day before the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockeys walk thoroughbreds to the track for the second race of the day before the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)