2019 French Open Singles draws revealed

Team USA will have at least 15 women and nine men in the main draw of the French Open, the most of any nation, when play begins Sunday.

 

Following Thursday’s draw in Paris, here’s a look at who the Americans will play.

 

Women’s Draw

 

Top Half:

Serena Williams

 

Three-time French Open victor Williams begins her search of a first major title in more than two years this weekend. Williams will face Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia in the first round and, as a No. 10 seed, could face No. 8 seed Ashleigh Barty as early as the fourth. Williams’ path to the final may also include world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in a US Open final rematch in the quarterfinals and potentially Simona Halep or Petra Kvitova in the semifinals.

 

Madison Keys

 

Keys was drawn in a tough top quarter of the draw that also includes Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty. Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, plays Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina in the first round and the winner of Priscilla Hon or a qualifier in Round 2. Should Keys advance to the third round, Caroline Garcia could await.

 

Danielle Collins

 

Collins narrowly missed out on being seeded at a major for the first time in her career. Now she’ll have to do it the hard way if she wants to escape out of a tough top quarter of the draw. She starts against Tatjana Maria of Germany and could meet Ashleigh Barty, the No. 8 seed, in round 2. Even if she wins that match, No. 25 seed Su-Wei Hsieh could await in the third round with Serena Williams lurking in Round 4.

 

Alison Riske

 

Riske faces Andrea Petkovic in the first round, with the potential to play No. 25 seed Su-Wei Hsieh in the Round of 64. The 28-year-old Pittsburgh native reached the second round in 2014, but fell in the first round in each of the past four years.

 

Anna Tatishvili

 

Tatishvili moved into the main draw using her protected ranking when Ekaterina Makarova of Russia withdrew. Tatishvili, who hasn’t played a Tour-level match since 2017, will play No. 29 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece in the first round.

 

Sofia Kenin

 

One of seven women in Naomi Osaka’s quarter of the draw, Kenin will begin her French Open campaign against a qualifier and could play No. 22 seed Bianca Andreescu of Canada in Round 2. If the young American advances to the third round, a generational battle could take place against 23-time major champ Serena Williams.

 

Jessica Pegula

 

Pegula is one spot below her best ranking of No. 71 after breaking into the Top 100 for the first time in February. She’ll face No. 8 seed Ashleigh Barty in the first round. It will be the first career meeting between Barty and the 25-year-old Buffalo native, who beat world No. 12 Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia on the green clay of Charleston, S.C., in straight sets last month.

 

Amanda Anisimova

 

Anisimova is one spot shy of her career-high ranking of No. 53. She was drawn in defending champion Simona Halep’s quarter and in Petra Kvitova’s mini section of the draw. Anisimova plays French wild card Harmony Tan in the first round and may square off against Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 11 seed, in Round 2. A possible third-round opponent is 17th-seeded Estonian Anett Kontaveit.

 

**

 

Bottom Half:

 

Sloane Stephens

 

The 2017 US Open champion came within a handful of points of adding a second Slam trophy to her cabinet in Paris 12 months ago. Stephens, this year’s No. 7 seed, was up a set and a break in last year’s final against Simona Halep, at one time just two points away from having the opportunity to serve out the championship. Five of Stephens’ past six losses in Paris has come at the hands of players ranked sixth or better. Stephens, in the bottom half of the draw with Karolina Pliskova, starts against Misaki Doi of Japan and could play one of Elina Svitolina, Venus Williams or Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round.

 

Venus Williams

 

At No. 52 in the world, Williams (pictured above) comes into a Grand Slam at her lowest ranking for more than five years when she was No. 60 coming into the 2013 US Open. The American drew world No. 9 Svitolina in a must-watch first-round match. The winner of that could face Garbiñe Muguruza in the Round of 32. Williams was also unseeded at the Australian Open in January, where she defeated No. 25 Mihaela Buzărnescu in the opening round.

 

Jennifer Brady

 

Brady was drawn in Stephens’ quarter of the draw and could play her friend in Round 3. But first Brady will need to navigate past Ivana Jorovic of Serbia in the first round and potentially No. 32 seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Round 2.

 

Lauren Davis

 

Davis won the USTA French Open Wild Card Challenge to earn a bid into the main draw. She plays Kristyna Pliskova in the first round and possibly Johanna Konta of Great Britain in the Round of 64. If Davis gets to the third round, a meeting with No. 4 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands is a strong possibility.

Taylor Townsend

 

Townsend has the unenviable task of facing former French Open and Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza in the opening round. The 23-year-old reached the third round in Paris in 2014, a career-best result, and she has been to the second round three times in the past four years.

 

Madison Brengle

 

Brengle will play world No. 2 and former US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the French Open. The world No. 97 reached the final of an ITF clay-court event in Charlottesville, Va., last month, but Pliskova poses a much different challenge. Pliskova leads the head-to-head 3-0, but Brengle took the first set off the Czech at the Australian Open in January before Pliskova reeled off 12 of the final 13 games to advance.

 

Shelby Rogers

 

Rogers is using her protected ranking to play her first Grand Slam tournament in 16 months after a knee injury sidelined her for more than a year. Currently outside the Top 500, Rogers made an emotional return to the Tour last month at her home tournament in Charleston and will now return to Paris, where she had her best Slam result with a quarterfinal run in 2016. Rogers plays Astra Sharma of Australia in the first round and could then face Carla Suarez Navarro in Round 2.
 

Qualifying:

 

Three Americans—Bernarda Pera, Varvara Lepchenko and Allie Kiick—are into the last round of qualifying. If they win their third and final matches, they will earn three of 12 spots in the main draw. Should they advance, they have a one-in-four chance of playing a seed in Round 1. One lucky loser from the final round of qualifying will join them in the main draw, following the withdrawal of Camila Giorgi.

 

Men's Draw

 

Top Half:

 

Mackenzie McDonald

 

McDonald could have a marquee matchup against No. 8 seed and former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in Round 2 if he can get past Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in his opening match. The American is ranked just six spots above his first-round opponent, who won their only previous Tour-level matchup on the clay of Estoril, Portugal, earlier this year.

 

Tommy Paul

 

Paul’s reward for winning a wild card into the French Open is a first-round match against world No. 4 Dominic Thiem. Paul, ranked No. 136, is making his main-draw debut in Paris, but few introductions will be more difficult than playing the Austrian, who has reached a final and two semifinals in the past three years in Paris.  

 

Taylor Fritz

 

Twenty-one-year-old world No. 46 Fritz begins his tournament against Australian showman Bernard Tomic in a first career meeting of the pair. Tomic has fallen from a career-high of No. 17 to his current spot at No. 82, but Fritz has historically struggled on clay. The French Open is the only Slam at which he hasn’t reached at least the second round.

 

Steve Johnson

 

Johnson faces No. 18 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the first round and could meet countryman Fritz in Round 2. Johnson has proven he’s comfortable on clay, winning back-to-back titles in Houston in 2017 and 2018. He’s reached the third round in three of the past four years, but he’ll have his work cut out against the 31-year-old veteran, who has won all six previous meetings.

 

Sam Querrey

 

Querrey will face a qualifier in the first round before a big-stage match with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Round 2. Querrey has never been past the third round in Paris, and he is 4-8 in first-round matches on the red Parisian clay. His game is more suited to the fast grass of London, which is where he famously upset Djokovic in the third round three years ago.

 

**

 

Bottom Half:

 

Frances Tiafoe

 

Tiafoe was drawn in Rafael Nadal’s half and Roger Federer’s quarter of the draw. Before Tiafoe has to worry about that, though, there are more pressing matters in his draw. He faces Filip Krajinovic in the first round and potentially Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 32. Should he get through that, there’s a chance a Grand Slam winner awaits in the fourth round, with both Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic in his mini section.

 

Reilly Opelka

 

The big-serving American begins his campaign against Chile’s Christian Garin, and he could play three-time Slam winner Wawrinka in the second round. The 6-foot-11 21-year-old is making his French Open main-draw debut after falling in qualifying in the two previous years. He’s coming off a second-round showing in Melbourne, his best Slam performance so far.

 

Bradley Klahn

 

Klahn plays No. 21 seed Alex de Minaur in Round 1 in just his second French Open main draw and his first in five years. The 28-year-old American has competed in each of the three previous majors, and he’ll have to rely on his lefty game to make 20-year-old Aussie de Minaur uncomfortable at the back of the court in their first career meeting.

 

Denis Kudla

 

Kudla was drawn in Nadal’s quarter of the draw and could play the 11-time champion if he beats Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in Round 1 and potentially No. 27 seed David Goffin in Round 2.

 

Qualifying:

 

Tennys Sandgren is the lone American left in qualifying. He’s hoping to secure one of 16 spots into the main draw, which will also feature two lucky losers after the withdrawal of Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych.