In the third round of January’s Australian Open, Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova played an excellent match. Osaka would hold two match points, but it would be Anisimova who would eventually prevail in a final-set tiebreak. Now they meet again, in a highly-anticipated first round matchup in Paris.
Also on Monday, three of the favorites to win this event will play their opening matches: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Iga Swiatek. Nadal is vying for his record-extending 22nd Major singles title, while Djokovic is looking to tie Nadal by defending his title and winning his 21st.
Swiatek arrives in Paris on a 28-match winning streak, and has established herself as a strong favorite to procure her second Slam. And Barbora Krejcikova starts her title defense on Monday, in what will be her first match since February.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s five most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Monday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Amanda Anisimova (27) vs. Naomi Osaka – 11:00am on Court Suzanne Lenglen
This will be Osaka’s return to an event where a year ago she withdrew after much controversy surrounding her decision to not participate in press conferences. And this will be just her third match on clay this season, after withdrawing from Rome due to an ankle injury. Anisimova is 10-3 on clay, having reached the quarterfinals or better in each of her three tournaments on this surface. It was in Paris three years ago when the American made her big breakthrough with a run to the semifinals. In their Australian Open thriller, struck 46 winners, while Osaka only accumulated 21. That’s a stark contrast, especially considering how Naomi is usually the one dictating play. On this surface, where Osaka has only played seven matches in the last three seasons, Anisimova is a considerable favorite to earn another victory over the four-time Major champion.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Lesia Tsurenko – 12:00pm on Court Philippe Chatrier
How will Swiatek cope with the pressure of being the prohibitive favorite to win this tournament? This is new territory for the 20-year-old, as she has separated herself from the pack following the sudden retirement of Ash Barty. Iga is 37-3 on the year, with five straight titles (Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stutthart, Rome). This is her first career meeting with Tsurenko, who is a former top 25 player and a 2018 US Open quarterfinalist. But Lesia hasn’t played since retiring from a round of 16 match last month in Istanbul, and hasn’t won a main draw match at a Slam in three years. Sunday’s first match on Chatrier saw the WTA’s other red-hot player, Ons Jabeur, go down in defeat. But I don’t see another upset to start the day on Monday.
Barbora Krejcikova (2) vs. Diane Parry – Second on Court Philippe Chatrier
Defending your first Major title is never easy, but doing so when you’ve been inactive for the last three months is nearly impossible. Krejcikova hasn’t played a match since February due to an elbow injury. Her opponent on Monday is a 19-year-old from France who won four titles at lower-level events last season, all on clay. With the Parisian crowd behind her, a Parry upset would not be shocking, especially against an out-of-form defending champion who has a lot of ranking points to defend. Krejcikova could fall out of the top 10 with a first-round loss. Barbora’s chances will be contingent upon how healthy her elbow is, and if she can overcome her lack of form.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Jordan Thompson – Third on Court Philippe Chatrier
Nadal’s achievements at this tournament are well-documented: a mind-boggling record of 105-3, with 13 titles. But questions surround his condition coming into this fortnight. Despite his history here, and despite his excellent 2022 record of 23-3, his chronic foot injury was causing him a lot of pain just over a week ago in Rome. Rafa was noticeably limping during his three-set loss to Shapovalov in the quarterfinals of that event. He remains a huge favorite against Thompson, who is 4-11 the last two seasons on clay, and 3-6 lifetime in the main draw of the French Open. But all eyes with be on Nadal’s feet, as a relatively-healthy Rafa should of course be considered the favorite to win Roland Garros for a 14th time.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Yoshihito Nishioka – Not Before 8:45pm on Court Philippe Chatrier
Considering Nadal’s foot, many consider Djokovic to be the favorite to defend his title. While he missed much of the 2022 season due to his vaccination status, Novak rounded into form nicely on clay. After gritting his way to the final in Belgrade in spite of some lackluster form, Djokovic reached the semifinals of Madrid, where young phenom Carlos Alcaraz required nearly four hours to stop him. And in Rome, Djokovic won his first title in six months, and did so without dropping a set. And that included his three victories over top 10 opposition since last November. Nishioka has won his first round match in three consecutive years at Roland Garros, but that run will most likely end here. Yoshi is 0-4 this season in the main draw of clay events, and in two previous encounter with Djokovic, he has been defeated soundly.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Bianca Andreescu vs. Ysaline Bonaventure (Q) – This is just Andreescu’s third main draw match at Roland Garros. After missing the first three months of the season, Bianca has gone 6-3 on clay. Bonaventure does own a victory over Andreescu, from a Canadian ITF-level event five years ago.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Corentin Moutet (WC) – Wawrinka has only played four tour-level matches since March of 2021 due to surgery on his left foot. And the 2015 champion is 0-1 against Moutet, as the Frenchman defeated him in three sets two years ago in Doha.
Anett Kontaveit (5) vs. Ajla Tomljanovic – Kontaveit was easily the WTA’s best player during the latter stages of 2021, but she’s now just 3-4 since March. Tomljanovic has been struggling as well, with an 11-13 record on the season. Anett claimed both of their previous meetings in three sets.
Emma Raducanu (12) vs. Linda Noskova (Q) – The reigning US Open champion is 5-4 on clay this season. Noskova is a 17-year-old from the Czech Republic, and is the reigning Roland Garros girls’ champion.
Angelique Kerber (21) vs. Magdalena Frech – Kerber has lost in the first round of this event five out of the last six years. But she’s coming off a title run this past week in Strasbourg. Frech is a 24-year-old from Poland whose only previous main-draw victory at a major came four years ago in Paris.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.