Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic kept apart in French Open draw
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Jannik Sinner reacts during his Italian Open final against Norway's Casper Rudd.
PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS – Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not be able to meet until the French Open final after the pair were placed in opposite halves of the draw on May 21.
Sinner, the red-hot title favourite in the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, will start his bid for a maiden Roland Garros crown against French wild card Clement Tabur, the world No. 165.
World No. 1 Sinner is slated to meet big-hitting American fifth seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. World No. 7 Daniil Medvedev is a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian.
The Russian gave the 24-year-old Sinner a rare scare in the Italian Open semi-finals earlier in May before eventually succumbing in three sets.
Djokovic will kick off his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against home hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Second seed Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final opponent for the Serb.
The German has played Djokovic twice before at Roland Garros, suffering quarter-final defeats against the Serb in 2019 and 2025.
The standout first-round tie sees in-form Frenchman Arthur Fils take on former champion Stan Wawrinka, featuring at the tournament for the last time before retirement.
In the women’s draw, reigning champion Coco Gauff could face Aryna Sabalenka in a repeat of the 2025 final in the last four this year, after the pair were placed in the same half.
American fourth seed Gauff, who beat world No. 1 Sabalenka in a tense final 12 months ago, will start her title defence against compatriot Taylor Townsend.
Sabalenka, who has never won the Roland Garros title, could face several tricky matches throughout the tournament, which kicks off on May 24.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is a potential last-16 opponent, although the Japanese star has never previously reached the second week in Paris.
Rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko or fifth seed Jessica Pegula could await the Belarusian in the quarter-finals.
Sabalenka will take on Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain in the first round.
Gauff may need to get past fellow American Amanda Anisimova, who lost the 2025 Wimbledon and US Open finals, in the last eight.
Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, seeded third, could meet Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.
Second seed Elena Rybakina, who won the year’s opening Grand Slam at the Australian Open, is slated to meet Swiatek in the semi-finals.
There is a possible South-east Asian clash in the second round between Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala. AFP
