Sinner's exit opens door at French Open as belief spreads across field

PARIS, May 28 : Defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz's absence through injury and Jannik Sinner's second-round exit on Thursday have left the men's draw wide open, with players sensing a rare chance to claim a Grand Slam title.

The "Sincaraz" duo, still in their early twenties, have won the last nine Grand Slam titles, with 39-year-old Novak Djokovic still looking like the player who is most likely to disrupt their dominance.

While the Serbian will be the favourite to capture his record 25th Grand Slam trophy in Paris, American Learner Tien said more challengers were likely to have renewed belief following Sinner's 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 defeat by Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

"I can't speak for anyone else, honestly, but from what I feel all the young guys coming up want to prove themselves," the 20-year-old Tien told reporters.

"I think a lot of the guys coming up really have a lot of belief in themselves, that they belong at this level and that they can challenge the top guys for these events.

"I think that's huge. Just believing is a huge first step and a lot of these younger guys, myself included, are just very eager to go out and prove themselves."

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime said Cerundolo's win had put him firmly in the spotlight.

"Everyone thought Sinner would win this year's French Open," Auger-Aliassime said.

"It's not going to be him. I guess that's the beauty of sports. Not so great for him. But at the same time, everyone will remember what happened with Juan Manuel.

"He's a great player with many qualities and it's going to shed great light on him. Sinner is fine. He's got all the light that he needs and he'll be grand."

American Frances Tiafoe said the rest of the field had more opportunities now that Sinner had