Paris – Carlos Alcaraz will defend the French Open champion against veteran Kei Nishikori and say he is excited to return to Paris behind a great clay season.
Alcaraz has been a leading player for Roland-Garros in a few weeks and is an obvious favorite after winning trophys in Barcelona and Rome. Nishikori is a top five player and has been struggling in the dirt in recent years.
Alcaraz has maintained a 15-1 record on clay this season. After returning to second place in the rankings, he couldn’t play the highest-ranked Jannik Sinner before the final in Paris because they were in the relative aspect of the draw.
“It’s a great clay season so far,” Alcaraz said after a tie in Paris on Thursday. “I’m very excited. The confidence is really high now.”
Alcaraz or Sinner won the last five Grand Slam titles.
Sinner returned from his three-month doping suspension when Alcaraz met in Rome this month but failed again. Sinner opens with local hope Arthur Rinderknech and can meet three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Last year, Alcaraz defeated the Sinners in the French Open semifinal. Alcaraz then successfully defended his Wimbledon title for his fourth Grand Slam trophy.
Sinner won only 19 career titles in the 2022 Clay title in Umag, Croatia, when he defeated Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic finally won Clay at the Geneva Open on Wednesday, where he will face Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion won the Paris Olympic gold medal at Roland-Garros last August but has been struggling with clay since.
Sinner may face No. 5 seed Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, and other possible matches include Alexander Zverev (3) against Djokovic (6), Taylor Fritz, Taylor Fritz (4) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (8) and Alcaraz and Casper Rud (7).
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek is still looking for her best form in the women’s draw.
Since winning the game at Roland-Garros last year, she has beaten the top four and has not won the championship or reached the final. Swiatek’s No. 5 seed in Paris will play No. 41 against Rebecca Sramkova.
“I’m proud of my achievements,” Swiatek said. “I’m trying to be prepared. Make sure the season has been ups and downs than before. But I know my game is here.”
No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka faces Kamilla Rakhimova, while No. 2 Cocoa Gauff will contact Olivia Gadecki. An interesting match will be played against No. 10 Paula Badosa in four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
The possible women’s quarterfinals were No. 8 for Sabalenka vs. Qinwen Zheng, last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini vs. Swiatek, Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Mirra Andreeva (6) and Gauff vs. Madison Keys (7).
The French Open will begin on Sunday and end on June 8.
