Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Sport
Paul Myers

French Open draw sees Boisson face Kalinskaya and Sinner take on Tabur

French player Lois Boisson reached the final four at the 2025 French Open.
French player Lois Boisson reached the final four at the 2025 French Open. © Pierre RENE-WORMS

Paris – The French Open has announced the draw for this year's tournament, at which top seeds Jannik Sinner of Italy and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will be seeking their first Roland Garros titles.

France's Lois Boisson will launch her bid for victory against the 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya. Boisson, 22, was pitted against the experienced Russian at the draw ceremony on Thursday.

In the men's singles competition, world number one Sinner will begin his quest against France's Clément Tabur.

Tabur, 26, was given an invitation into the main draw by the French Tennis Federation, which organises the Grand Slam tournament.

France's top player, Arthur Fils, goes into the season's second Grand Slam event seeded 17th.

The 21-year-old will start against 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, who will be making his farewell appearance at the tournament, which opens on Sunday.

Boisson back from injury

Boisson reached the semi-finals in 2025, seeing off top 10 players Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula. Coco Gauff ended her run with a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

In the last year, Boisson has struggled with injuries and enters the tournament ranked 50th in the world.

Gauff, of the United States, went on to defeat top seed Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final to take the title. She will start the defence of her crown against fellow American Taylor Townsend.

World number one Sabalenka will start against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro from Spain, while four-time winner Iga Swiatek will face the 17-year-old Australian Emerson Jones.

At Thursday's draw, Gauff recalled the moment she won the match point in the final last June.

"My mind definitely went blank. Since I was little, I always said if I won the French Open that I wouldn't fall on the ground because I didn't want to get clay in my hair. But I think I was so relieved that the match was over because it was three hours. I was so happy, I just fell on the ground."

Sinner the favourite

In the men's competition, an all-French first round clash pits Hugo Gaston against Gael Monfils, who will retire at the end of the 2026 season.

The absence from this year's tournament of Spain's Carlos Alcaraz due to a wrist injury will make Sinner the overwhelming favourite for the men's title – after he lost the 2025 final to the Spaniard.

Last week, Sinner won the Masters 1000 event in Rome, adding to his triumphs at the Masters tournaments in Madrid and Monte Carlo in April.

Men's top seed Jannik Sinner will start his quest for a first French Open title against the Frenchman Clément Tabur.
Men's top seed Jannik Sinner will start his quest for a first French Open title against the Frenchman Clément Tabur. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino - Alessandra Tarantino

Should the 24-year-old claim the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 7 June, he will become the seventh man to have won crowns at the four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York since tennis was opened to professional players in 1968.

After claiming the Australian Open in January, Alcaraz joined this group – which includes Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, André Agassi, Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic.

Three-time French Open champion Djokovic, who is the third seed, will start his bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title against the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Meanwhile, men's second seed Alexander Zverev, who lost the 2023 final to Alcaraz, will begin his bid for a first Grand Slam championship against the Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.