Roland Garros: Sinner, Sabalenka and Gauff Take Centre Stage in Round One

Gauff opens title defence

Gauff, Sabalenka and Sinner headline day three at Roland Garros, with Naomi Osaka and Alexandra Eala also in first-round action.

Sinner, Gauff, Sabalenka lead first-round action at Roland Garros...

Jannik Sinner begins his first attempt to complete the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros on Tuesday, while Coco Gauff starts her French Open title defence.

Men’s world No. 1 Sinner enters as the heavy favourite in the men’s draw with injured rival Carlos Alcaraz absent from the tournament.

Sinner will be aiming for a straightforward win against French wildcard Clement Tabur in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier, following a demanding but successful clay-court season.

The Italian claimed his sixth straight Masters title at the Italian Open earlier this month, completing the full set of nine 1000-level trophies. That victory added to his earlier clay-court wins in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

Sinner returns to Roland Garros for the first time since last year’s painful final loss to Alcaraz, where he led by two sets and held three championship points.

He arrives on a 29-match winning streak and has not lost since falling to Jakub Mensik in Doha in February.

“Everyone is trying to beat (me), but that's also the most normal thing,” said Sinner.

“You need to be ready. Best-of-five matches, they are a bit different.

“It gives you a little bit more time to understand how to beat a player, and even if you have a wrong start, then potentially you can find a way in.”

Tabur is making only his second appearance in a Grand Slam main draw at age 26. His first came last year when he lost in the first round to Corentin Moutet as a qualifier.

The world No. 171 has lost all six other qualifying matches he has played at the majors.

Gauff Starts Title Defence Against Townsend

Coco Gauff opens her defence of the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen against fellow American Taylor Townsend. The women’s fourth seed has been inconsistent since defeating Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Paris final, though she did reach the Italian Open final before falling to Elina Svitolina. 

Gauff has a chance to reach at least the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for a sixth year in a row, a tournament where she has achieved her best Grand Slam results.

“Whenever I come to this tournament, I don't even think about my past results here,” she said.

“It's obviously different thinking about last year, but I don't know, last year feels like 10 years ago.”

Townsend’s only previous win over Gauff came at an ITF event in Charleston seven years ago, when Gauff was a 15-year-old qualifier.

Sabalenka looked like the player to beat at the French Open after winning both Indian Wells and Miami in March to complete the Sunshine double.

The world No. 1 arrives in Paris with questions over her form following a quarter-final loss to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid and a surprise third-round defeat to Sorana Cirstea in Rome.

She feels rested ahead of her latest attempt to win a first French Open title and will open against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

“I struggled at the beginning of the clay court (season) physically, to be honest, but right now I feel 100 per cent,” Sabalenka said.

“We did a great recovery. We focused on recovery and making sure that I'm healed everywhere and I'm ready to go.”

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who could face Sabalenka in the last 16, takes on Germany’s Laura Siegemund. The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala also faces a tough challenge against 17th seed and teenage player Iva Jovic.