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With the start of the 2023 French Open just a few days away and with the final rounds of qualifiers coming to conclusion, the excitement around the latest edition of the French Grand Slam keeps on growing.
To add to that excitement, the 2023 French Open draw was held today and with that in mind, we will now take a closer look at the results of this draw, both for men and women.
French Open Draw for Men’s Event
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With Rafael Nadal out of his favourite tournament, which he won 14 times in his career, the rest of the tour can have high hopes for this Roland Garros. Of course, the main favourite to win is Novak Djokovic, despite the fact that he is not the top seed here. That honour belongs to Carlos Alcaraz, who had a fantastic season so far and is sitting at the top of the ATP list at the moment.
Here is the list of the top eight men’s seeds at 2023 French Open:
- Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
- Daniel Medvedev
- Novak Djokovic (SER)
- Casper Ruud (NOR)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
- Andrey Rublev
- Holger Rune (DAN)
- Jannik Sinner (ITA)
Was the Draw Favourable for the Top Men’s Seeds at French Open?
The top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, will play with a yet unknown qualifier in the first round, while Australia’s Christopher O’Connell will likely wait for him in the second round. His potential opponents until the blockbuster quarter-finals against the fifth seed Stefanos Tsisipas include Denis Shapovalov, Cameron Norrie, and Felix Auger Aliassime, among others.
Meanwhile, if he manages to overcome all of these obstacles, Alcaraz will meet with Novak Djokovic in semi-finals. Given the fact that Alcaraz is the top seed and great on clay, while Djokovic looks to extend his outstanding number of Grand Slams won, this potential duel is rightfully dubbed the “final before the final”. For Djokovic to reach the semis and potentially meet with Alcaraz, he will have to go through players like Fucsovics, Davidovich-Fokina, Bautista-Agut, Hurkacz, Evans, Khacanov, and Rublev.
In the other half of the draw, the top seed is Daniil Medvedev, who should have an easy job in the first two rounds, while in the third he could meet with Yoshihito Nishioka. From there on, his potential opponents are De Minaur, Tiafoe, Thiem, Zverev, Dimitrov, and Sinner, all the way to the potential semi-final against Casper Ruud.
Meanwhile, Casper Ruud will likely meet with Alexander Bublik in the second round, with other potential opponents on his way to Medved and projected semi-finals being Botic van de Zandschulp, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, and finally Holger Rune.
Interesting First-Round Clashes for Men’s Singles at French Open
Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
Andrey Rublev vs Laslo Djere (SRB)
Ben Shelton (USA) vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Pedro Cachin (ARG)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs Jiri Vesely (CZE)
Projected Quarter-Finals for Men’s Event
- Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsisipas
- Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev
- Holger Rune vs Casper Ruud
- Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev
French Open Draw for Women’s Event
The winner of last year’s Roland Garros and current no.1 in the WTA rankings Iga Swiatek will be hoping to defend her title and win another generous prize, but there are many challengers awaiting her in that path. Most notably, two players who had great seasons so far – Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. From the shadows other top players will lurk and wait for their chance, like Ons Jabeur, or the finalist last year Coco Gauff.
Here is the list of the top eight women’s seeds at 2023 French Open:
- Iga Swiatek (POL)
- Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
- Caroline Garcia (FRA)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Ons Jabeur (TUN)
- Maria Sakkari (GRC)
Was the Draw Favourable for the Top Women’s Seeds at French Open?
The top seed and the defender of the title Iga Swiatek will play Cristina Bucsa in the first round of the tournament, which is not such an easy start for the defending champion. On top of that, Elena Rybakina is the potential opponent for Swiatek in semi-finals, but before she can reach her, the Polish player would have to eliminate some of these players: Victoria Azarenka, Barbora Krejcikova, Veronika Kudermetova, and, potentially in quarter-finals, her opponent in the final last year, Coco Gauff.
On the other hand, before she can meet with Swiatek in the semi-finals, Elena Rybakina as the fourth seed will probably have to deal with Noskova, Rogers, Haddad Maia, Vekic, and Kvitova. This does seem like an easier path than the one for Swiatek, but there are still some potential mines that Rybakina will have to avoid to reach the semi-finals, including Ons Jabeur, who she could meet with in the quarter-finals.
One of the biggest hopes for USA tennis in this tournament is Jessica Pegula, the third seed at the French Open. Her path can take her to Aryna Sabalenka in semi-finals, but first she has to go through many obstacles, starting with Danielle Collins in the first round. From there, Pegula could meet with Camila Giorgi, Elise Mertens, Liudmila Samsonova, Belinda Bencic, and, ultimately, Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals.
Finally, as the second seed and one of the most succesful players this season, Aryna Sabalenka is one of the main favourites at French Open. Her path starts with Marta Kostyuk, who is far from an easy opponent since she’s currently 39th in the WTA rankings. After that, Sabalenka could cross paths with Zhang Shuai, Karolina Pliskova, Daria Kasatkina, and finally Caroline Garcia in quarter-finals.
Interesting First-Round Clashes for Women’s Singles at French Open
Victoria Azarenka vs Bianca Andreescu (CAN)
Madison Keys (USA) vs Kaia Kanepi (EST)
Coco Gauff (USA) vs Rebeka Masarova (ESP)
Ons Jabeur (TUN) vs Lucia Bronzetti (ITA)
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) vs Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)
Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs [21] Magda Linette (POL)
[16] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) vs Sloane Stephens (USA)
Projected Quarter-Finals for Women’s Event at French Open
- Iga Swiatek vs Coco Gauff
- Elena Rybakina vs Ons Jabeur
- Maria Sakkari vs Jessica Pegula
- Caroline Garcia vs Aryna Sabalenka
Top UK Prospects at 2023 French Open
With Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu both out of the tournament, the list of UK players with chances to do something at the 2023 Roland Garros is not that impressive. In fact, the UK is without a representative in the tournament’s main draw, while four players will defend UK’s honour in the men’s event:
- Cameron Norrie
- Dan Evans
- Kyle Edmund
- Jack Draper
Best USA Players at 2023 French Open
A total of 30 players from the US are already in the main draw of 2023 French Open, with 15 in the men’s and 15 in the women’s event. There is still a chance for more players from the United States to come from qualifiers, but for now, let’s take a closer look at those with the best chances to go far in the tournament:
- Taylor Fritz
- Frances Tiafoe
- Jessica Pegula
- Coco Gauff
- Tommy Paul
- Madison Keys
- Sebastian Korda
- Shelby Rogers
- Sloan Stephens
- Ben Shelton
Biggest Australian Hopes at 2023 French Open
With Nick Kyrgios still dealing with an injury, which will keep him out of the 2023 French Open as well, Australian tennis is missing one of the best players ahead of this Grand Slam. Overall, Australia will have nine players in main draw, with two more possibly reaching this stage from qualifiers. Here is the full list of players from Australia that have already reached the main draw:
- Ajla Tomljanovic
- Kimberly Birrell
- Alex de Minaur
- Jason Kubler
- Alexei Popyrin
- Christopher O’Connell
- Max Purcell
- Jordan Thompson
- Thanasi Kokkinakis
Main Canadian Contenders at 2023 French Open
Similar to the UK, Canada won’t have a lot of players representing the country at 2023 Roland Garros. Overall, only five players have reached the main draw for singles, three in women’s event and two in men’s event.
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Denis Shapovalov
- Bianca Andreescu
- Leylah Annie Fernandez
- Rebecca Marino
