May 25 (Reuters) – The top seeds are set to kick off their French Open campaigns on Tuesday, with Jannik Sinner facing Clement Tabur and Aryna Sabalenka taking on Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Defending champion Coco Gauff will also be in action, playing fellow American Taylor Townsend.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: SINNER V TABUR
With the last two editions’ champion Carlos Alcaraz out due to injury, Sinner has a golden opportunity to finally win the French Open and complete his career Grand Slam.
The world number one has left little doubt about his status as the favourite this year, as he has won all five ATP 1000 Masters titles this year, including three on clay since last month.
He has won his last 29 matches, the longest winning streak of his career, dropping only three sets in the process.
“Yes, I hope to find my top form in Paris… I’m lucky to be in this position,” the 24-year-old said at the weekend.
Sinner will look for a quick win over French wildcard Tabur to conserve energy, but the Italian said he did not mind testing the deep waters in Paris.
“It’s always better to feel tired after winning a lot than to feel physically perfect and lose early,” the four-time Grand Slam winner said.
“Best-of-five-set matches are different. You have more time to understand how to beat a player, and even if you start badly, you can always find a solution. I’m sure I have some very tough matches ahead.”
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: SABALENKA V BOUZAS MANEIRO
Reaching the final of the French Open last year was a sign that world number one Sabalenka had started to master the claycourt after years of struggle, during which she won only three of her 24 WTA titles on clay.
But the 28-year-old’s hope to finally triumph at Roland Garros has run into an additional challenge, a lower back injury that limited her movement at the Italian Open earlier this month, as she suffered a second-round exit.
Sabalenka, however, insists she has fully recovered.
“We focused on recovery and made sure that I’m healed everywhere and I’m ready to go. Right now, physically I’m ready to go,” she told reporters on Friday.
“I know how to play on clay and it’s all about being physically and mentally healthy, to go for it, and to be ready to fight… I hope to do a little bit better than I did last year.”
GAUFF HOPES TO FIND HER WAY IN PARIS AGAIN
Gauff was a set down in last year’s French Open final, when she dug deep to topple Sabalenka in a battle of endurance to claim her second Grand Slam title.
The 22-year-old has played her best on hardcourts over the years, but she believes the Roland Garros surface stands out from the rest, and plays into her penchant for grinding out victories in closely fought matches.
“The clay at Roland Garros is like no other surface. You have to practice like you’re going to win every single match by a point or two,” she said in an interview with her sponsor Rolex.
Gauff’s ability to fight through difficult matches was on full display at the Italian Open earlier this month, where she won three matches after losing the first set before losing the final to Elina Svitolina.
“I’m looking forward to making the adjustments to my game, sliding around and going for those crazy shots,” Gauff added.
“I often find that at the start of Roland Garros the clay is a little bit rough for me, but I feel like I always find my way in Paris.”
FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON TUESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (play begins at 1000 GMT)
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain)
Alexandre Muller (France) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
4-Coco Gauff (U.S.) v Taylor Townsend (U.S.)
1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v Clement Tabur (France)
COURT SUZANNE LENGLEN (play begins at 0900 GMT)
Adam Walton (Australia) v 6-Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
Laura Siegemund (Germany) v 16-Naomi Osaka (Japan)
22-Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) v Lois Boisson (France)
4-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) v Daniel Altmaier (Germany)
COURT SIMONNE MATHIEU (play begins at 0900 GMT)
Marin Cilic (Croatia) v Moise Kouame (France)
Vit Kopriva (Czech Republic) v 30-Corentin Moutet (France)
Hanne Vandewinkel (Germany) v 19-Madison Keys (U.S.)
Kimberly Birrell (Australia) v 5-Jessica Pegula (U.S.)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Gus Trompiz)
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