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What can we expect from the Aussies at Roland Garros 2026?
Brett Phillips • May 24th, 2026 3:48 pm
Thirteen Australians will line up in the second major of 2026, as the French Open gets underway Sunday Night.
The Grand Slam stage is where players clearly want to excel, but the clay courts of Roland Garros have not historically produced Australia's best major results, so the challenge has been set once again.
Ash Barty, our last female champion in 2019, while on the men’s side, Rod Laver in 1969.
That, combined with the first five months of 2026, which by and large collectively haven't produced eye-catching results (apart from Talia Gibson's big rankings spike in the Sunshine double in March) for our pros traversing the globe, means the expectations are low.
Many are looking for a big form reversal, so the question is whether the Aussie pack can step up on a bigger occasion, which means more and be inspired to bring their best tennis. The best feeling is winning matches on a Grand Slam stage.
There are no projections from me; simply an opening round lens (the old one-match-at-a-time theory) in looking at the match-ups for the Aussies.
MEN'S
Alex de Minaur (No. 7) vs. Toby Samuel (UK (Q) - No. 159)
A return to form for the No.1 Aussie this week in Hamburg, reaching the semi-finals after a 4-7 run since winning the Rotterdam 500 title back in February.
It will be the 27-year-old’s 10th Roland Garros campaign. Just once has he been past the second round, reaching a QF in 2024. Last year, after leading Alexander Bublik two sets to love, he suffered a devastating five-set loss.
It will be a first meeting with his opponent, who will play in his first Slam main draw, having qualified. Toby Samuel, 23, has gone 89-25 in the last 18 months, fully launching his pro career after graduating from college.
Alexei Popyrin (No. 61) vs. Zachary Svajda (USA - No. 85)
The yo-yo that is Alexei Popyrin. The 26-year-old Aussie is capable of going on decent runs, winning a Masters 1000 title, and big Grand Slam victories, matched with first-round exits that manifest into long losing streaks (0-10) at the end of 2025 into the start of 2026.
Popyrin returns to Roland Garros defending fourth round points from last year, so there is plenty to play for, otherwise his ranking will take another hit.
He is 8-14 this season. In 14 tournaments played this year, on just three occasions has he won back-to-back matches; two of those have come in his latest tournaments played in Italy and Geneva, so he brings in some better form.
This will be the first meeting with Svajda. The 23-year-old has won just two matches at Slam level, both at the US Open, as recently as last year. Coming in, he has won just one of his last six matches in this clay swing.
In his seven Roland Garros campaigns, Popyrin has exited in the first round on five occasions.
James Duckworth (No. 82) vs. Gabriel Diallo (CAN - No. 49)
The 34-year-old will play his eighth Roland Garros main draw, where he is 1-8 on the Paris clay. He was a lucky loser at the Geneva 250, where he lost in the first round this week.
Before that, he had some good clay court form at Challenger level, winning in Mexico City back in April.
He has a 1-0 head-to-head with his opponent, Gabriel Diallo, defeating the strapping Canadian 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 on an indoor hardcourt in Almaty in 2025.
Diallo got to a career high of No.33 last year, certainly brings some weaponry, but it’s just his eighth appearance at a major (6-7 record), so still a work in progress at the Slams and is 6-12 this season.
Aleksandar Vukic (No. 96) vs. Raphael Collignon (BEL - No. 62)
The 30-year-old is looking for his first win at Roland Garros (0-3) in his 16th Grand Slam main draw, where he is (6-15 career)
He is 8-16 on tour this season (just three wins at ATP Tour level and 2-7 during the clay swing) and doesn’t have fond memories of his opponent, who defeated him from a set down to secure Belgium a spot in the Davis Cup Finals last year.
Raphael , 24, has risen sharply over the last three years (148-55), coming through the ranks, but is still fresh in Slam experience, in just his fourth major main draw, his best result the third round of the US Open.
Adam Walton (No. 97) vs. Daniil Medvedev (No. 8)
Walton is the recipient of the reciprocal wildcard and knows what it feels like to win a match on the Parisian clay (2025 in five sets), and also knows what it feels like to defeat Daniil Medvedev (Cincinnati 2025)
Walton is 19-17 (all matches 2026), but just four of those wins have come at ATP level.
The 30-year-old Medvedev will play Roland Garros for a 10th time, a QF in 2021 his best run, having been to the fourth round just twice (10-9 overall), the worst record of the four majors for the former world No.1.
He is 24-8 this season with two titles to his name.
Rinky Hijikata (No. 98) vs. Tommy Paul (USA - No. 21)
Hijikata is looking for his first win at the second major of the year, having bowed out in the first round the past two years (loss to Riley Opelka in 2025, loss to Luciano Darderi 2024).
The 25-year-old is 7-12 at the majors in his 12 main draw appearances, and is 21-16 (all matches 2026) - seven wins at tour level.
His opponent, Tommy Paul, makes the quick dash to Paris to be ready to compete after reaching the final of Hamburg overnight AEST, going down in three sets to Peru’s Ignacio Buse in just over three hours.
Paul holds a 1-0 head-to-head over Hijikata with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the Adelaide International last year.
Thanasi Kokkinakis (No. 855) vs.Terence Atmane (FRA - No. 52)
The 30-year-old has used a protected ranking to be in the main draw, starved of tennis in the last 18 months (just seven matches) as he attempts another comeback.
He played the Zagreb ATP Challenger (his first , winning two qualifying matches), before withdrawing from his first-round match with some minor back stiffness as a precaution.
His opponent will have a big French crowd courtside in just his fifth major main draw, looking for his first win at one of the four biggest tournaments in the sport.
The 24-year-old is 11-15 on tour this year, and made his name in Cincinnati last year with a semi-final run from qualifying, which saw a big rankings spike inside the top 100.
They have met once before in Masters 1000 qualifying in Rome in 2024, the Frenchman prevailing 7-6, 7-6.
WOMEN'S
Maya Joint (No.51) vs. Anastasia Potapova (AUT - No. 30)
The Aussie No.1 has certainly had a tough 2026 after her rapid rise last year, peaking at a career high No.28. A win-loss of 2-11, having lost her last nine matches and sidelined for two months with a back injury.
Her quest to get that winning feeling again, not made easy with a match with the inform Anastasia Potapova, who is the 28th seed coming off a clay lead in making the final in Linz (500), SF Madrid (1000) and final of Rome (1000)
It will be the first meeting between the pair. Joint is yet to win a Grand Slam match outside of the US Open, where she has won her first round matches the last two years.
Daria Kasatkina (No. 52) vs. Zenyep Sönmez (TUR - No. 66)
The 29-year-old competes in her 11th Roland Garros main draw, her most successful Slam across her career (24-10 record), having made the fourth round in 2025. Her best result was a run to the semis in 2022.
After a 4-6 start to 2026 and then being sidelined for two months with injury, Kasatkina’s return to the tour in the clay court season has seen her form turn around with a 9-4 run, including a WTA 125 title and a QF in Strasbourg this week.
It will be her first meeting with Türkiye’s No 1, 24-year-old Sönmez, who reached the third round of the Australian Open back in January from qualifying and last year at Wimbledon. Yet to win a main draw match in Paris in two attempts, she often gets some passionate crowd support courtside.
Talia Gibson (No. 58) vs. Yulia Putintseva (KAZ - No. 77)
The 21-year-old is playing her first French Open main draw, with her ranking skyrocketing this year with her 11-2 run to qualify for Indian Wells (going on to make the QF’s) and Miami (reaching the R16).
Since then, she has gone 1-5 in the main draw and a loss at the Billie Jean King Cup. With a big part of the season still to come, she will be hoping to consolidate her top 60 spot and edge towards the top 50.
Her opponent is a tough competitor. The 31-year-old Putintseva is a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist in 2016 and 2018 and a former world number 20. She reached the R16 at the Australian Open this year. 11-10 main draw in 2026.
Kimberly Birrell (No. 83) vs. Jessica Pegula (USA - No. 5)
The 28-year-old Aussie is searching for her first main draw singles win at a major outside of the Australian Open. Birrell played the first round in 2023 and 2025 in Paris.
After a semi-final in Austin (WTA 250) back in March, she is on a six-match main draw losing streak, which also includes a loss at the Billie Jean King Cup in Melbourne.
Would have liked a kinder draw, no doubt. Jess Pegula defeated Kim in Cincinnati in straight sets last year in their only meeting, was a Roland Garros quarter-finalist in 2022 and made the fourth round in 2025 (11-6 overall in six main draws).
Ajla Tomljanovic (No. 100) vs. Caty McNally (USA - No. 63)
The 33-year-old is playing in her 11th RG main draw. Her best showing came in her first appearance in 2014, making the fourth round. Since then hasn’t been able to advance past the second round.
She is hoping to turn around a six-match losing streak since March, against the American McNally, who has gone 5-4 in the clay swing, including a run to the fourth round in Madrid.
The 24-year-old has won both matches in their head-to-head on a hard court in Guangzhou and Indian Wells in 2025.
Emerson Jones (No. 136) vs. Iga Șwiątek (POL - No. 3)
The 17-year-old makes her Roland Garros main draw debut, having been given the reciprocal wildcard as our most promising prospect outside the main draw direct entry.
She is 17-7 in the main draw in 2026, playing a combination of WTA and ITF events, including a title and a runner-up in the latter.
Certainly is on a nice trajectory for her age, but this is a daunting match-up against the four-time RG champion, who, by her lofty standards, didn’t start the year well with three quarter-finals at the AO, Doha and Indian Wells, followed by an early round two loss in Miami, which saw her split with coach Wim Fissette.
The 24-year-old Șwiątek returned to form in Rome, making the semi-finals under new coach Francisco Roig.
Play starts tonight at 7pm AEST on Channel 9 and Stan Sport. Ajla Tomljanovic and James Duckworth the two Aussies to feature on Day 1, first up on their respective courts.
TO READ MORE OF THE FIRST SERVE, CLICK HERE.
