Key Takeaways
- Tallon Griekspoor has beaten both Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in the past 12 months but has lost his opening match at six straight Grand Slams.
- Now ranked world number 55, Griekspoor is the highest-ranked ATP player to finish 2026 without a single Grand Slam match victory.
- Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina holds the equivalent distinction on the WTA Tour, going winless across all four Grand Slam events this season despite climbing back to world number 47.
Tallon Griekspoor endures major slump after high-profile victories
The 2026 Grand Slam season concluded with Alexander Zverev lifting his second major title of the year at the US Open, having already won Roland Garros earlier in June. With Carlos Alcaraz achieving the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open and Jannik Sinner defending his crown at Wimbledon, the sport’s top honors remained concentrated among the very elite.
However, Dutch competitor Tallon Griekspoor has experienced the exact opposite trajectory on the biggest stages. The former world number 21 and three-time ATP tournament winner has collected victories over both Sinner and Zverev within the last 12 months, yet he has found himself completely unable to convert that caliber of tennis into Grand Slam match wins.
At the Shanghai Masters last autumn, Griekspoor earned a victory when Sinner was forced to retire from their contest due to cramping. Even more impressively, Griekspoor defeated Zverev in a completed match at the Canadian Open roughly a month before the German secured the US Open trophy. That result marked the Dutchman’s third career win against Zverev. Despite these standout moments, his recent performances at the majors tell a starkly different story.
The ATP’s highest-ranked player without a major win in 2026
Griekspoor, who started 2026 ranked 25th and currently sits at world number 55, has suffered opening-round exits in his last six consecutive Grand Slam appearances. This run gives him the unwanted distinction of being the highest-ranked man on the ATP Tour to finish the entire 2026 season without winning a single Grand Slam match.
His latest setback came at Flushing Meadows against eighth seed and eventual finalist Ben Shelton. Although Griekspoor stormed through the opening set 6-1, he was unable to maintain momentum and lost in four sets. His previous major win dates back to Roland Garros in 2025, where he made the fourth round before retiring against Zverev.
| Grand Slam | Tallon Griekspoor’s result |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 2025 | Lost in the first round to Jenson Brooksby, 6-2 7-5 6-3 |
| US Open 2025 | Lost in the first round to Adrian Mannarino, 7-5 6-4 6-0 |
| Australian Open 2026 | Lost in the first round to Ethan Quinn, 6-2 6-3 6-2 |
| Roland Garros 2026 | Lost in the first round to Matteo Arnaldi, 6(9)-7 6-3 7-6(6) 6-3 |
| Wimbledon 2026 | Lost in the first round to James Duckworth, 6-4 4-6 7-5 6-4 |
| US Open 2026 | Lost in the first round to Ben Shelton (8), 1-6 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 |
Anhelina Kalinina shares unwanted record on the WTA Tour
A similar dry spell has unfolded on the women’s tour for Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. A former world number 25 and 2023 Italian Open finalist, Kalinina spent six months away from competition last season dealing with a right arm injury, which saw her slip outside the top 150.
Kalinina mounted a solid comeback by capturing three WTA 125 titles and reaching the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Rabat, lifting her ranking back inside the top 50 to world number 47. However, she could not buy a win at the majors in 2026, exiting in the first round at Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York.
| Grand Slam | Anhelina Kalinina’s result |
|---|---|
| Australian Open | Lost in the first round to Xinyu Wang, 6-3 6-3 |
| Roland Garros | Lost in the first round to Diane Parry, 0-6 6-2 6-4 |
| Wimbledon | Lost in the first round to Kamilla Rakhimova, 4-6 6-4 7-5 |
| US Open | Lost in the first round to Himeno Sakatsume (Q), 6-3 6-3 |
Like Griekspoor, Kalinina’s most recent Grand Slam victory came at the 2025 French Open. Both competitors now turn their attention to the upcoming season, aiming to halt their losing streaks when the Australian Open arrives in January.
Tallon Griekspoor in 2026
Now ranked no.55, Tallon played his last match on the 31st of August when he capitulated to world no.4 Ben Shelton 1-6 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 in the 1st round of the U.S. Open (draw).
This year Griekspoor has managed to achieve a 14-19 win-loss record. Tallon Griekspoor’s most significant performance of this year was reaching the semifinal in Dubai.
