{"id":814425,"date":"2026-05-22T10:58:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/814425\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:58:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:58:27","slug":"2026-french-open-draw-schedule-bracket-and-dates-for-mens-and-womens-singles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/814425\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 French Open draw: Schedule, bracket and dates for men’s and women’s singles"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Coco Gauff is gunning for her second straight title while World No. 1 Jannik Sinner aims to complete the career grand slam at the 2026 French Open, which is set to begin Sunday inside Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris. Prize money has increased to $3.2 million for each of the winners, a 10% bump from last year’s purse\u00a0despite recent protests from players<\/a> upset they are not receiving a bigger share of tournament revenues compared to other majors.<\/p>\n

Sinner has won 29 consecutive matches entering the tournament after winning titles at five ATP Masters 1000 events this season: Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome. Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner’s nemesis who has won back-to-back French Open titles, will miss the tournament and has already pulled out of Wimbledon later this summer<\/a> with a wrist injury.<\/p>\n

Other challengers with the best opportunity at unseating Sinner at Roland Garros include Alexander Zverev, 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils. Djokovic, the 3-seed, is a three-time French Open winner, last taking the crown in 2023. Djokovic squares off with big server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the draw, Djokovic would only potentially matchup with Sinner if both players made the final. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, making his final appearance at Roland-Garros, will play France’s Arthur Fils, the 17-seed, in the opening round.<\/p>\n

Americans Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Learner Tien and Sebastian Korda are considered long shots. Andy Roddick won the last major title by an American in men’s singles at the 2003 US Open.<\/p>\n

Gauff looks for repeat performance<\/p>\n

On the women’s side, Gauff will begin defense of her French Open title against Taylor Townsend, Americans who have met only once previously in their careers (Charleston, S.C. in 2019). Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s French Open final, 6\u20137 (5\u20137), 6\u20132, 6\u20134 to win her second major, her first coming at the US Open in 2023. Vying for another title the following year, Gauff suffered 19 double faults and says she has learned from that experience in a major final.<\/p>\n

“At the US Open, I was like, ‘I need to defend, defend.’ When you’re playing a tournament that you didn’t win, what is it called?” Gauff said recently in Rome. “That’s why I just say now it’s just another tournament: ‘I won it last year. I’ll try again to do it this year.’ I’m not going to be able to defend every year. I’m not Rafa (el Nadal).”<\/p>\n

Four-time French Open champion Iga Swi\u0105tek (+220), Sabalenka (+260) and Elena Rybakina (+650) ar\u0119 the favorites for the tournament ahead of Gauff (+700) per FanDuel Sportsbook.<\/a><\/p>\n

Gauff said her serve is showing more consistency.<\/p>\n

“My weight is a little bit better. Also just the trust, the confidence in it is a lot better,” Gauff said this week. “Because my confidence in it is better, then I’m actually consistently tossing the ball in the right spot, having my technique be the same on each serve regardless where my target is. That’s the biggest difference.”<\/p>\n

French Open schedule<\/p>\n