French Open serves up tough draw for 15-strong Australian contingent

Alex de Minaur has been handed a minefield of a draw at the French Open as he seeks to go even further than his breakthrough to the quarterfinals in 2024.

23 May 2025

Alex de Minaur will have to negotiate a minefield of a first week at the French Open if he is even to battle his way to a potential quarterfinal date with his nemesis, Jannik Sinner.

The 15-strong Australian contingent will all face tough tests at Roland Garros, with two of the top women, Maya Joint and Ajla Tomljanovic facing off against one another in the first round.

Remarkably, the 19-year-old Joint, in her debut Paris main draw, and 32-year-old Tomljanovic, in her 10th French Open, will first have a dress rehearsal on Friday in the Morocco Open semifinal in Rabat.

Number nine seed de Minaur, a quarterfinalist last year, has his work cut out to do better this time around as he faces the prospect of a third-round meeting with rising teenage Czech comet Jakub Menšík with the probability of the winner facing British hot shot Jack Draper in the last-16.

De Minaur should have confidence about taking on Serbian Laslo Djere in his opener, a player he's beaten three times and never lost to, before the possibility of an all-Australian match-up in the last 64 against James Duckworth, should his fellow Sydneysider get past the unpredictable Alexander Bublik first-up.

The Aussie star would then likely face Sinner, the returning world number one, who de Minaur has only taken one set off in 10 one-sided defeats, with potentially Novak Djokovic and reigning champ Carlos Alcaraz awaiting beyond that point.

Alcaraz, victor in Rome over Sinner last week, attended the draw and rubbed shoulders with Paris St Germain footballer Ousmane Dembélé at the ceremony.

The Spanish ace will take on former world number four Kei Nishikori in the first round and could meet two-time finalist Casper Ruud in the quarters.

Sinner, just back after a three-month doping ban, will start by having to silence the locals in the first round, who will be backing 196cm-tall local Arthur Rinderknech, the world number 72.

Alexei Popyrin, Australia's 25th seed, will fancy his chances against Japanese world number 75 Yoshihito Nishioka first up but there are forbidding first hurdles for Chris O'Connell, facing French 22nd seed Ugo Humbert, and Aleksandar Vukic, who's drawn number 24 seed Karen Khachanov.

The only consolation of the Joint-Tomljanovic clash is the guarantee of one Aussie woman at least featuring in the second round.

Olivia Gadecki has the toughest draw of all, up against number two seed Coco Gauff in the first round, while Daria Kastkina, in her first grand slam representing Australia, has a demanding opener against Katerina Siniaková, the Czech doubles world number who's still a dangerous singles opponent for anyone.

Iga Swiatek, after a fourth consecutive title and fifth overall, starts against Rebecca Sramkova, with the prospect of facing Britain's former US Open champ Emma Raducanu in the second round.

She's in the same quarter of the draw as last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini, fresh off her Italian Open title, and world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who opens against Kamilla Rakhimova.