Five contenders suffered an upset in the lead-up to the 2026 French Open main draw.
The tennis calendar is speeding towards the finale of the clay court season. The world's top players are either squeezing in a warm-up tournament or have already arrived in Paris for the 2026 French Open.
However, there is no need to wait for Roland Garros to deliver plenty of excitement. In less than 24 hours, five contenders dropped matches which has to worry fans. Below is a quick breakdown of the surprising results. , and it did not go well.
Despite entering the Geneva Open as the top-ranked player, Fritz lost in straight sets to Alexei Popyrin. It is important to note that Popyrin is no major underdog, but the unseeded Popyrin still beat Fritz in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4. This match will be Fritz's only warmup before the French Open. The World No. 8 falls to 12-9 on the season with zero titles.
Fritz was not the only top dog to go down in Geneva. Mariano Navone upset the third-seeded Cameron Norrie in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4. The World No. 22 Norrie falls to 14-12 on the season and has gone 5-5 on clay so far this year.
Meanwhile, Navone is riding a hot streak into the quarterfinal, where he will face the ascendant Jaume Munar. The top-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic in the Round of 16 at the Hamburg Open. The World No. 5 Auger-Aliassime falls to 19-9 with one title on the year and is 4-4 on clay so far. Kovacevic will face either Frances Tiafoe or Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
The fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov lost a hard-fought match to unseeded Ugo Humbert in the Round of 16 at the Hamburg Open. Humbert outlasted Khachanov in three sets: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. The World No. 15 Khachanov falls to 12-12 and is 5-5 on clay. Humbert will face Ignacio Buse in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
This will be his first time missing the main draw in 15 years. Grigor Dimitrov came close to upsetting Jannik Sinner last year at Wimbledon before retiring with an injury. Since then, the veteran player has struggled to regain his form. Yesterday, Jaime Faria defeated Dimitrov in the French Open qualifiers: 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
It will be the first time in 15 years that Dimitrov misses the main draw at Roland Garros. Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.
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