PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz will begin a bid to repeat as French Open men’s singles champion against veteran Japanese player Kei Nishikori, and the 22-year-old Spaniard said he’s “excited” to be back in Paris on the back of an excellent clay-court season.
Alcaraz has been the dominant player in the weeks leading to the year’s second Grand Slam tournament and is the clear-cut favorite at Roland Garros after winning trophies in Barcelona and Rome. Nishikori was once ranked among the top five players on the ATP Tour but has been struggling on the dirt in recent years.
Alcaraz holds a 15-1 record on clay this season. Having moved back to No. 2 in the rankings, he can’t play top-ranked Jannik Sinner before the final in Paris because they are on opposite sides of the draw.
“It’s been a great clay season so far,” Alcaraz said after Thursday’s draw in Paris. “I’m excited. The confidence is really high right now.”
The French Open starts Sunday, with the women’s singles final set for June 7 and the men’s singles final on June 8.
Alcaraz or Sinner have won the past five Grand Slam titles in men’s singles.
Back from his three-month doping suspension, the 23-year-old Italian pushed Alcaraz when they met in the Rome final this month, yet lost in straight sets. Sinner opens against local hope Arthur Rinderknech and could meet three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Alcaraz beat Sinner over five sets in the French Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz then repeated as Wimbledon champion on the grass of the All England Club for his fourth Grand Slam trophy.
Sinner has won only one of his 19 career titles on clay, in Umag, Croatia, in 2022 — when he beat Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic, who finally won a match on clay this year at the Geneva Open on Wednesday, will face Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion won the Paris Olympics gold medal last August at Roland Garros but has struggled on clay since then.
Sinner could run into No. 5 seed Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, with other possible matchups featuring Alexander Zverev (3) versus Djokovic (6), Taylor Fritz (4) versus Lorenzo Musetti (8), and Alcaraz versus Casper Ruud (7).
In the women’s draw, four-time champion Iga Swiatek is still searching for her best form.
The 23-year-old from Poland has dropped outside the top four on the WTA Tour and has not won a title or reached a final since her victory at Roland Garros last year. Swiatek dealt with a doping suspension last year after failing an out-of-competition drug test in August for a banned heart medication. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation that she was taking the medication for issues with jet lag and sleeping.
Seeded No. 5 in Paris, Swiatek will open her campaign against Rebecca Sramkova, ranked No. 41. She could meet former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
“I’m proud of my achievements here,” Swiatek said. “I’m working hard to be ready. For sure this season had more ups and downs than the years before. But I know my game is here.”
No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka faces Kamilla Rakhimova, while No. 2 Coco Gauff will take on Olivia Gadecki. An interesting matchup will pit No. 10 Paula Badosa against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
The possible women’s quarterfinals are Sabalenka against No. 8 Qinwen Zheng, last-year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini against Swiatek, Jessica Pegula (3) versus Mirra Andreeva (6), and Gauff against Madison Keys (7)