Mathewson, Wagner in French Open Draws

Two Americans will represent Team USA in the wheelchair competition at the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season. Dana Mathewson and David Wagner received direct entry into the women's and Quad fields, and will compete in both singles and doubles when the event kicks off on Friday.

Mathewson, ranked world No. 10, was the beneficiary of a pre-tournament withdrawal and will make her French Open debut. She is also the first American woman to play the French Open event in the wheelchair competition, which began in 2007. Wagner is competing in his third French Open, which added a Quad division in 2019, and won the doubles title in each of the past two years. He also reached the singles final in the event's first edition.

READ MORE: Checking in with Dana Mathewson

Mathewson was drawn to face world No. 7 Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa in the quarterfinals, whom she has faced six times. Though she trails the overall head-to-head, 4-2, Mathewson scored a victory in their last meeting, which was also at Grand Slam level: a 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 win at the US Open in 2019. Though singles foes, the pair will also play doubles together and drew the top-seeded Dutch team of Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot in the semifinals. 

Wagner, a wild card into the four-player Quad field, will face world No. 1 Dylan Alcott in the semifinals. Of their 47 career encounters, only two have been on clay: both were won by Alcott, including a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win in the final in Paris in 2019. Wagner will also partner Andy Lapthorne of Great Britain in the doubles, where they'll face Alcott and Sam Schroder of the Netherlands for the title.

Longtime doubles partners at other Grand Slams, it is the first time that Wagner and Lapthorne have played together in Paris, with the American winning the title with Alcott in 2019 and Schroder last year.