2026 French Open: Jannik Sinner red-hot, Coco Gauff faces rough repeat

The 2026 French Open draw was revealed on Thursday before the tournament gets underway on May 24. There were few surprises as Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka secured No. 1 seeds for the singles portion of the year’s second Grand Slam.

The absence of the defending men’s singles champion, Carlos Alcaraz, allows others to try to make a mark, including Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and new top-five seeds, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada and American Ben Shelton, who both are looking for their first Grand Slam titles. Shelton hopes to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since 2003.

Coco Gauff is back to defend her title amongst a strong woman’s field, with many players having legitimate chances to spring upsets, especially if Gauff struggles with her serve or Sabalenka has an off day.

And while the field is strong, another issue looms large over the tournament: some players plan to protest and limit their media interactions over the prize money offered.

Here are some takeaways from the French Open draw:

It’s Sinner’s tournament to lose

Sinner has been on an absolute tear during the clay court season and will look to become the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the career Grand Slam if he emerges victorious in Paris. The world’s top-ranked player has won 29 consecutive matches, including ATP Masters 1000 titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. And he has a chance to put a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking, as Alcaraz will not play at Roland Garros or Wimbledon while recovering from a wrist injury.

Novak Djokovic is also looking to make history, as he seeks his 25th major win. Djokovic’s last Grand Slam title was at the 2023 U.S. Open. Djokovic, who has won three French Opens, is the tournament’s No. 3 seed and on the opposite side of Sinner’s draw. Those two can only meet if they advance to the final. Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist, could await Djokovic in round four, and Alexander Zverev is a possible semi-final matchup.

Gauff faces tough test if she wants to repeat

Gauff beat Sabalenka in last year’s final, marred by Sabalenka’s comments suggesting her three-set loss was due to her 70 unforced errors rather than anything Gauff did to win the match. She later apologized for those comments. Gauff, who lost to Elina Svitolina in the Italian Open final, begins her title defense against fellow American and doubles savant Taylor Townsend, and if the seeds hold true, will meet Sabalenka in the semifinals.

And don’t forget about four-time French Open champ Iga Swiatek, who is the third seed. She could possibly meet Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in one semifinal should both remain unscathed through that portion of the draw.

Women’s seeds

1. Aryna Sabalenka BELA
2. Elena Rybakina KAZ
3. Iga Swiatek POL
4. Coco Gauff USA
5. Jessica Pegula USA
6. Amanda Anisimova USA
7. Elina Svitolina UKR
8. Mirra Andreeva RUS
9. Victoria Mboko CAN
10. Karolina Muchova CZE
11. Belinda Bencic SUI
12. Linda Noskova CZE
13. Jasmine Paolini ITA
14. Ekaterina Alexandrova RUS
15. Marta Kostyuk UKR
16. Naomi Osaka JPN
17. Iva Jovic USA
18. Sorana Cirstea ROM
19. Madison Keys USA
20. Liudmila Samsonova RUS
21. Clara Tauson DEN
22. Anna Kalinskaya RUS
23. Elise Mertens BEL
24. Leylah Fernandez CAN
25. Diana Shnaider RUS
26. Hailey Baptiste USA
27. Marie Bouzkova CZE
28. Anastasia Potapova AUT
29. Jelena Ostapenko LAT
30. Ann Li USA
31. Cristina Bucsa ESP
32. Xinyu Wang CHN

Men’s seeds

1. Jannik Sinner ITA
2. Alexander Zverev GER
3. Novak Djokovic SRB
4. Felix Auger-Aliassime CAN
5. Ben Shelton USA
6. Alex de Minaur AUS
7. Taylor Fritz USA
8. Daniil Medvedev RUS
9. Alexander Bublik KAZ
10. Casper Ruud NOR
11. Jiri Lehecka CZE
12. Karen Khachanov RUS
13. Andrey Rublev RUS
14. Flavio Cobolli ITA
15. Valentin Vacherot MON
16. Tommy Paul USA
17. Francisco Cerundolo ARG
18. Frances Tiafoe USA
19. Luciano Darderi ITA
20. Learner Tien USA
21. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ESP
22. Cameron Norrie GBR
23. Jakub Mensik CZE
24. Arthur Rinderknech FRA
25. Tomas Martin Etcheverry ARG
26. Arthur Fils FRA
27. Corentin Moutet FRA
28. Tallon Griekspoor NED
29. Brandon Nakashima USA
30. Ugo Humbert FRA
31. Joao Fonseca BRA
32. Alex Michelsen USA

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 French Open: Jannik Sinner soaring, Coco Gauff has grueling path