French Open Tennis: Raducanu Could Face Swiatek in Round Two
Britain’s Emma Raducanu might play world number five Iga Swiatek in the second round of the French Open. But first, Raducanu must beat China’s Wang Xinyu in her opening match in Paris.
Swiatek, who has won the French Open four times in the last five years, has not won any tournaments this year. Because of her drop in rankings, she could face strong players early in the competition.
If Raducanu beats Wang, she could face Swiatek again the same player who easily beat her at the Australian Open in January. If Swiatek wins that match, she might face 11th seed Elena Rybakina in round four and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals.
In the men’s draw, Britain’s Jack Draper starts against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci. If Draper keeps winning, he could meet world number two Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. Sinner, recently back from a doping ban, begins against France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
Top men’s players Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic also have tough paths. Alcaraz faces Japan’s Kei Nishikori in round one, while Djokovic, hoping to win his 25th Grand Slam, plays American Mackenzie McDonald.
Djokovic, now 38 years old, has been struggling. He lost his first three clay matches this season and recently split with coach Andy Murray. Still, his draw could have been harder, as he avoids top-ranked players early.
Other British players also have interesting matches:
* Jacob Fearnley plays 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam winner.
* Cameron Norrie will have a rematch with Daniil Medvedev.
* Katie Boulter starts against a qualifier and hopes to win her first match at Roland Garros.
* Sonay Kartal, in her first French Open, faces Erika Andreeva.
* Jodie Burrage takes on powerful American Danielle Collins.
This year’s French Open begins on Sunday. Footballer Ousmane Dembélé helped reveal the draw during a ceremony at Roland Garros.
Other Big First-Round Matches
* Hubert Hurkacz vs Joao Fonseca
* Alexander Zverev vs Learner Tien
* Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa
* Elena Rybakina vs Belinda Bencic
* Aryna Sabalenka vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Now that the draw is set, fans are eager to see how far the British players and struggling stars can go on the famous clay courts of Paris.
