Skip to main content
Serve On SI

5 Upsets Rock Men's Tennis Before French Open

Five contenders suffered an upset in the lead-up to the 2026 French Open main draw.
Pat Benson|
Taylor Fritz lost his first match in the Geneva Open.
Taylor Fritz lost his first match in the Geneva Open. | Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

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.

Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz played his first clay court match of the season, 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.

Cameron Norrie

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.

Felix Auger-Aliassime

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.

Karen Khachanov

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.

Grigor Dimitrov

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.

Follow Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

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.

Share on XFollow Pat_Benson_Jr
Home/News