Andrés Gómez defeated Andre Agassi in the final, 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1990 French Open. It was his first and only major singles title. Gómez became the first Ecuadorian, male or female, to win a singles major.
Michael Chang was the defending champion, but was defeated by Agassi in the quarterfinals.
For the first time since the December 1977 Australian Open, no semifinalists at a major had previously won a major title. World No. 1 and three-time former champion Ivan Lendl elected to skip the tournament to prepare for Wimbledon, seeking to complete the career Grand Slam. Until the 2002 Australian Open, this would be the last time that the top two seeds lost in the first round of a major, with Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker falling in the opening round.