Roland-Garros: Gasquet and other French people on the road to Sinner, Sabalenka and Swiatek in the same part of the table
Will Ousmane Dembélé allow France to win a second football champions league, thirty-two years after that of Olympique de Marseille? The Paris Saint-Germain striker competes for the final with his club on Saturday May 31 in Munich, against Inter Milan, but first made a short detour to Roland-Garros, Thursday, May 22, to participate in the draw for the tournament. And the tricolor world champion may have reserved for Richard Gasquet a last duel at the top.
As in 2024, the Frenchman, who competed in the final tournament in his career, could face the Italian Jannik Sinner – the world’s number 1 and which just returns from a three -month suspension after two positive antidopages to an anabolic – from the second round of the Parisian Grand Chelem tournament. But before thinking about this shock, the Habs, who obtained an invitation for his jubilee, will have to get rid of his compatriot Térence Atmane (121e global), 22 years old, during the first round.
Beyond this possible match against Gasquet, Jannik Sinner will have to start by getting rid of another French, Arthur Rinderknech, in the first round. The world number 1 was not spared from the draw, because it is in the same part of the table as the German Alexander Zverev, world number 3, and the Serbian Novak Djokovic, 6e global. The Italian could thus find one of the two players in the semi-finals, whose possible duel in the previous round will be eagerly awaited.
For his part, the title holder, Carlos Alcaraz, has a slightly more affordable tablet. Unless there is a huge surprise, the Spaniard should cross paths with the Norwegian, Casper Rudd, 7e Mondial and double finalist Porte d’Auteuil, during the quarter -finals. The 22 -year -old Spaniard will enter the Tambour Tampel in the Japanese Kei Nishikori, finalist of the US Open in 2014. Then Alcaraz could face a Frenchman in the person of Giovanni Mpeshi Perricard, 31e Mondial at 3e tour of the competition. The overpowered tricolor, eliminated at 1is Tour last year for his first, will start against Belgian Zizou Bergs.
A Moutet-djokovic match in the second round?
For the other French people, it will be necessary to succeed in a hell of a feat to go to the end of the tournament and succeed Yannick Noah, the last tricolor to have raised the Musketeer Cup, in 1983. The most likely to achieve it is probably Arthur son, 14e global. But Essonnien, who always hunts a first victory on the land of Roland-Garros (he has three defeats in as many games, adding his defeat to the Paris Games), was not spoiled for his entry. He will be opposed to Chilean Nicolas Jarry, specialist in clay, like many of the South Americans.
If he holds his rank, Arthur son could find Russian Andrey Rublev (17e) In the third round, a few weeks after swepting it out in Monte-Carlo. In the next round, may be waiting for the world number 1 Jannik Sinner, the first week of which may have a very French color.
Like Arthur fils, most of the other Blues have pulled a first round in their strings, the starting point of a path that should quickly become tortuous. Corentin Moutet will first be opposed to a player from qualifying, before having to come across the iron with Novak Djokovic in the second round. Same scenario for Gaël Monfils, still eagerly awaited once his sneakers placed on the pillaged brick of Roland-Garros. The French veteran (38) will launch his tournament against Bolivian Hugo Dellien. If he crosses this first obstacle, he could meet in front of the British Jack Draper, a world fifth and in constant progression since the start of the season.
Second French in the standings but slightly allergic to clay, Ugo Humbert (22e global) pulled the Australian Chris O’Connell (82e), for his first match of the fortnight, when Alexandre Müller will have much to face the Czech Jakub Mensik (19e), winner of the Miami tournament in March. Finally, note the entry into the running of Hugo Gaston faced with a qualified, as well as another Franco-French shock between Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benjamin Bonzi.
Caroline Garcia avoids a big fish for her entry in the running
In women, the draw has reserved a unpleasant surprise in the world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Supposed to be protected by its ranking, the Belarusian could however find the triple holder of the Iga Swiatek title in the semi-finals. A case made possible by the slight decline in the classification of the Polish, now fifth in the world and which has not won the slightest title since her last coronation of Auteuil, in 2024. But this shock is far from certain, because Iga Swiatek will probably have to face the Italian Jasmine Paolini on the way, in a remake of the last final.
On the Tricolore side, only one player is in the top 100: Varvara Gracheva, eighth finalist at Roland-Garros in 2024. But for the 68e global, naturalized in 2023, reproducing the same course will not be easy. Not being protected by a seeded status, she inherited the American Sofia Kenin, 31e World and winner of the Australian Open 2020 in the first round.
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The draw was however milder with Caroline Garcia. Fallout at the 145e Global place after having shortened its 2024 season and having chained fast defeats and injury packages, the Frenchwoman avoids a big fish for her entry. Lyonnaise will play in front of the American Bernarda Pera (90e) in the first round.
Finalist of the Clarins in mid-May, Chloé Paquet will be a favorite of her first round, which she will play in front of a qualified. But things are likely to get complicated since it could face the world number two Coco Gauff in its second match.
