Court Philippe-Chatrier is headlined by the 2021 French Open debuts of former champions Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Ash Barty. All three will be heavy favorites to advance, so today’s preview will focus on matches scheduled for other courts around the grounds. Those matches include a recent Major finalist, a legend of the sport, and one of this year’s most inspirational stories.
Sunday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time on all courts except Chatrier, which starts at 12:00pm.
Jennifer Brady (13) vs. Anastasija Sevastova – First on Court 7
At the last two hard court Majors, Brady has taken her career to new heights. She reached her first Slam semifinal in New York, and was the runner-up in Melbourne. But at the other four Majors over the last two years, she hasn’t won a match. That includes this event a year ago, when she lost to qualifier Clara Tauson 9-7 in the third. Brady has struggled significantly since the Australian Open, with a record of 3-4. Just a few weeks ago, she parted ways with her coach, Michael Geserer, and withdrew from Rome due to injury. When your confidence is low, and you’re less than 100% physically, Sevastova is not the player you want to face. A former US Open semifinalist herself, she’s a strong competitor who plays with a lot of variety. And Sevastova advanced to the second week in Paris last autumn. Their first career meeting should be considered a significant upset possibility.
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff – Second on Court 14
Over the last 18 months, Rublev has been one of the winningest players in the sport. After collecting five titles in the abbreviated 2020 season, he’s backed it up by accumulating nearly 3,000 points through the first five months in this year, placing him third in the ATP Race to Turin. But the 23-year-old Russian is yet to surpass the quarterfinal stage of a Major, a round he’s reached four times, including at this event last year. Struff is far from an easy out, and he reached the fourth round here two years ago. These players have already met twice this season. While both matches went to Rublev, they also both went the distance. Andrey should be able to advance after some blistering rallies.
Ekaterina Alexandrova (32) vs. Venus Williams – Third on Court 14
At the last Major, Venus Williams once again displayed her grit. Despite suffering both a knee and ankle injury, she refused to retire, finishing out her match against Sara Errani. Venus has struggled to return from those injuries, as she’s 0-4 since leaving Australia. And she’s 0-3 the last three years in Paris, so facing a seeded player in the opening round will be a substantial challenge. Alexandrova is a consistent player whose only losses this clay season came to top 40 players. But based on the fight we’ve seen out of Venus Williams throughout her career, counting her out is a mistake.
Karolina Pliskova (9) vs. Donna Vekic – Fourth on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Vekic is a recent top 20 player, but has been battling injuries. This will be her first match since the Australian Open due to knee surgery. However, this could still be a dangerous draw for Pliskova, especially coming off her 6-0, 6-0 loss in the final of Rome at the hands of Iga Swiatek. And outside of the last two Rome events, Karolina hasn’t advanced beyond the quarterfinals at any other tournament. Pliskova leads their head-to-head 3-0, though they’ve only met on hard courts. Despite her stunning loss in Rome, Karolina remains the favorite against an out-of-form Vekic.
Sloane Stephens vs. Carla Suarez Navarro – Fourth on Court Simonne-Mathieu
This will be Carla Suarez Navarro’s first event in over a year. In 2020, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, but thankfully announced six weeks ago that she is cancer-free. And Carla has also announced this will be her last Roland Garros, as she plans to retire later this year. A seven-time Major quarterfinalist, it will be heartwarming just to watch her walk onto the court to compete. Stephens was the runner-up here three years ago, and is 3-0 against Suarez Navarro. While Sloane is 13-21 since the start of last year, she’ll still be the favorite today, as she’s gone 8-5 on clay over the last two months.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Alexei Popyrin – Nadal goes for his 101st match win at the French Open, while the 21-year-old Australian goes for his second.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Tennys Sandgren – This will be the night session match on Chatrier, starting at 9:00pm. Djokovic is 3-0 against the American, and has claimed eight of their nine sets played.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Bernarda Pera – This will be Barty’s first math at Roland Garros since winning here two years ago. Pera is a 26-year-old lefty ranked 70th in the world.
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Oceane Babel (WC) – Svitolina is a solid yet unspectacular 19-9 this season. Babel is a 17-year-old French player making her Major debut.
Gael Monfils (14) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Monfils has had a rough time on court since the pandemic, with a record of 1-9. Ramos-Vinolas was the champion last month in Estoril.
Tuesday’s full schedule is here.