{"id":199160,"date":"2026-05-21T16:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/raducanu-faces-tricky-start-who-plays-who-at-french-open\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:24:08","slug":"raducanu-faces-tricky-start-who-plays-who-at-french-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/raducanu-faces-tricky-start-who-plays-who-at-french-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Raducanu faces tricky start – who plays who at French Open?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Emma Raducanu has been handed a tricky first-round test at the French Open against Argentine clay-court specialist Solana Sierra.<\/b><\/p>\n

British number one Raducanu missed out on a seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam after falling to 37th in the world rankings.<\/p>\n

The draw could have been less kind than 64th-ranked Sierra, given there was the prospect of Raducanu facing one of the world’s very best.<\/p>\n

However, like most Argentinian players, 21-year-old Sierra started on the clay as a toddler and recently showed her ability by taking a set from reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff in Madrid.<\/p>\n

Italy’s 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini potentially awaits Raducanu in the second round.<\/p>\n

British number two Katie Boulter will open against American wildcard Akasha Urhobo, while Francesca Jones – the only other Briton in the women’s singles – faces Brazil’s 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the men’s draw, Cameron Norrie – Britain’s only seeded player – will play Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.<\/p>\n

Jacob Fearnley faces Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo with the likely prospect of world number one Jannik Sinner waiting in round two.<\/p>\n

Italy’s Sinner – the overwhelming favourite for the title with rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured – starts his bid to become only the 10th man to complete the career Grand Slam against French wildcard Clement Tabur.<\/p>\n

Three-time champion <\/b>Novak Djokovic did not receive a favourable draw as he bids once again for a standalone record 25th major victory.<\/p>\n

Djokovic, who turns 39 on Friday, opens against huge-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who is now coached by former British number one Greg Rusedski.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Two-time champion Alcaraz’s absence with a wrist injury has deprived Roland Garros of one of the sport’s biggest stars.<\/p>\n

It also means his absorbing rivalry with Sinner – which led to such a thrilling final in Paris last year – has been put on hold, with the pair having won the past nine Grand Slam titles between them. <\/p>\n

Sinner, who has lifted the Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome clay-court titles as part of a 29-match winning streak, is now the overwhelming favourite to win what would be a maiden French Open title.<\/p>\n

At this stage it is difficult to see anybody stopping him.<\/p>\n

Djokovic is the only man other than Alcaraz who has beaten Sinner at the majors since Wimbledon in 2024.<\/p>\n

But the 24-time major champion has barely played he beat Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals before losing to Alcaraz.<\/p>\n

Djokovic sticks to a sparse schedule these days, believing it gives him the best shot at finally moving clear of Margaret Court in terms of all-time major wins.<\/p>\n

Playing a huge server like Mpetshi Perricard is not ideal for his hopes of finding rhythm, although Djokovic still has more than enough quality to beat a player who has won seven of his 10 tour-level matches on clay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Former US Open champion Raducanu has endured another stop-start season after picking up a virus in February, with the after-effects limiting her to only two tournaments since.<\/p>\n

Raducanu made her return in Strasbourg this week after a two-month absence, losing in straight sets to France’s Diane Parry.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to learn what 23-year-old Raducanu’s expectations at Roland Garros are.<\/p>\n

Her performances at the Grand Slams have generally been disappointing and the limp manner in which she lost in the Australian Open second round in January was particularly disheartening.<\/p>\n

Shortly afterwards she parted ways with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig and has now rehired Andrew Richardson – the man who helped her shock the world by winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier.<\/p>\n

Raducanu has only gone past the third round of a Grand Slam once since then.<\/p>\n

The clay is not a surface she has ever felt completely comfortable on and it has also exacerbated a long-standing back issue.<\/p>\n

If Richardson returning is going to spark a revival in Raducanu’s career it would probably not happen over the next fortnight, given her lack of match fitness and a tricky draw.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Women’s singles:<\/b><\/p>\n

Aryna Sabalenka [1] v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spa)<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff (US) [4] v Taylor Townsend (US)<\/p>\n

Emerson Jones (Aus) v Iga Swiatek (Pol) [3]<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • \n

    Full women’s singles draw (external), external<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    Men’s singles:<\/b><\/p>\n

    Hugo Gaston (Fra) v Gael Monfils (Fra)<\/p>\n

    Stan Wawrinka (Sui) v Arthur Fils (Fra) [17]<\/p>\n

    Benjamin Bonzi (Fra) v Alexander Zverev (Ger) [2]<\/p>\n

    \n
      \n
    • \n

      Full men’s singles draw (external), external<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Emma Raducanu has been handed a tricky first-round test at the French Open against Argentine clay-court specialist Solana Sierra. British number one Raducanu missed out on a seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam after falling to 37th in the world rankings. The draw could have been less kind than 64th-ranked Sierra, given there was the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRaducanu faces tricky start - who plays who at French Open? - Tahrir News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/raducanu-faces-tricky-start-who-plays-who-at-french-open\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Raducanu faces tricky start - who plays who at French Open?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Emma Raducanu has been handed a tricky first-round test at the French Open against Argentine clay-court specialist Solana Sierra. 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