Hailey Baptiste’s Roland Garros second-round match ended in anguish after an awkward landing on a forehand left the 24-year-old unable to continue.

Her agent, Jill Smoller, confirmed to Jim Courier on Thursday that Baptiste suffered injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee. Baptiste is set to undergo surgery “soon” and is expected to be sidelined for “six months, minimum” during her recovery.

“News from Jill Smoller was not good,” journalist Chris Oddo shared on X . “ACL, Meniscus issues, surgery is incoming soon and we’re hearing six months, minimum, off tour.”

Baptiste arrived at Roland Garros riding the best form of her career. She reached a career-high ranking of world No. 25 earlier this month after breakthrough runs that included a first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Miami and a deeper run in Madrid, where she stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka en route to the semifinals. Her rise also coincided with an apparel sponsorship agreement with Nike just days before the clay-court Grand Slam began.

Seeded No. 26 at the tournament, Baptiste had opened with a gritty 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory over former champion Barbora Krejcikova. In the second round, she faced Wang Xiyu. With Wang serving for the set at 5-4, a low bounce pulled Baptiste off balance as she tried to shift from offense to defense in midair. She landed awkwardly, collapsed and could be heard sobbing and screaming “Why?” and “What did I do?” as she clutched her left leg.

Her father, Qasim Baptiste, ran onto the court and was told to stop by Hailey before chair umpire Marija Cicak guided him away after he attempted to move or touch her leg while comforting her. Baptiste was unable to bear weight and was forced to retire trailing 5-4, Ad-40. Paramedics helped her from the court and she left in a wheelchair with a towel draped over her head.

The injury halts a season that had appeared to be a breakout year for the American and begins a long recovery process.

Aryna Sabalenka combined gritty tennis and a playful mood after her second-round victory at the 2026 Roland Garros. The world No. 1, wearing Material Good diamonds, survived a testing opening set to beat Else Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2 and move into the third round.

Sabalenka’s win set the stage for a lighthearted rivalry on the stadium steps. Novak Djokovic drew attention with a Michael Jackson tribute following his second-round win over Valentin Royer, and Sabalenka was coy about answering the gesture.

“I guess we’re bringing it old school, so we’ll have to see what I’m up to,” teased Sabalenka to Caroline Garcia on-court.

Known for her fluency with current Tik Tok dances, Sabalenka declined to spoil her planned clip for the tournament’s official social media ahead of a third-round meeting with Daria Kasatkina. “Wait a little bit, it’ll make everyone more excited,” promised Sabalenka. “I need to remember the dance in my head. I hope I can perform it!”

On court, Sabalenka acknowledged the local support that favored Jacquemot, a former junior Roland Garros champion, and thanked the crowd for its composure. “I know you wanted her to win, but thank you for your respect.”

Beyond the staircase theatrics, the win advances Sabalenka as she pursues a first Grand Slam title of the 2026 season. She came close at the Australian Open in January and was a finalist in Paris last spring. Against Jacquemot she steadied through a tight first set before asserting control in the second.

The match mixed competitive intensity and off-court amusement, with Sabalenka keeping the focus on her next opponent while acknowledging the growing dance-off narrative with Djokovic. The tournament now turns to the next chapter, on court and on the stairs.

On Thursday, the world No. 1 and favorite to win Roland Garros saw a commanding position evaporate and a potential title bid end in dramatic fashion. Jannik Sinner led Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2, 4-1 and even reached match points, but a sudden physical issue changed the match.

Commentary during the match captured the moment’s gravity. “He knows the end is near,” Brian Anderson said. “He’s managing the pain; he’s in tennis’s version of hospice,” Anderson’s booth-mate, Jim Courier, agreed. “He’s just kinda riding this thing to the end.”

Sinner halted play and lifted his lower right leg. “I just need a moment,” he said, according to Mary Jo Fernandez on the sideline. What followed was a rapid reversal. Serving for the match at 5-2, Sinner was broken at love after a double fault. Serving for the match again at 5-4, he began with a double fault and was broken at love. He dropped 15 straight points and watched momentum swing entirely to his opponent.

“I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy,” Sinner said. “Very low of energy. Tried to serve it out, but didn’t have a lot of energy.” He added that the problem began before the match: “Woke up this morning, didn’t feel very well and tried to keep the points very short.” He also said, “I felt this morning I didn’t sleep very well,” and, “This morning when I woke up, I was struggling a bit, but you know, this can happen. Usually in Grand Slams you have a couple of days where you don’t feel perfect. This was today.” He summarized the collapse: “I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall, and that’s it.”

Cerundolo, the 56th-ranked Argentine, grew steadier as Sinner faded and completed one of the most unlikely Grand Slam comebacks, winning 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. Sinner arrived at Paris after a remarkable spring: 31 straight victories and five Masters 1000 titles in 2026, including a clay sweep in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. He said he will need time to “process what went wrong here.” For now, the tournament continues without the top seed.