French Open 2024: Rafael Nadal to meet Alexander Zverev in first round, Iga Swiatek to open against qualifier

Rafael Nadal, who has won the French Open a record 14 times, has been handed a tough draw as he is set to face World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the first round of the clay court Grand Slam.

Nadal is placed in the same half as Novak Djokovic and the pair could run into each other in the semifinals.

Djokovic, the defending champion, begins his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He is slated to meet Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, India’s Sumit Nagal who has qualified for the main draw due to world rank of 80 will meet Karen Khachanov in the opening round.

Daniil Medvedev will start against German Dominik Koepfer and is seeded to meet fourth seed Zverev in the semifinals. Medvedev’s best result at Roland Garros was a quarterfinal showing in 2021.

The winner will face former World No. 7 David Goffin or French wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round. Two-time quarterfinalist Holger Rune is a potential fourth-round opponent for Nadal or Zverev.

In the bottom half, second seed Jannik Sinner starts against Christopher Eubanks, while third seed Carlos Alcaraz plays a qualifier.

Rome finalist Nicolas Jarry is a potential fourth-round opponent, with Pole Hubert Hurkacz seeded to meet Sinner in the last eight.

Alcaraz, who is gunning to win his third Grand Slam title of his career, could face 15th seed Ben Shelton in the fourth round and Madrid champion Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Rublev opens against Japan’s Taro Daniel.

The first round has thrown up some interesting matches. The 2015 Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka meets Andy Murray, while 11th seed Alex de Minaur takes on Alex Michelsen.

French No. 1 Ugo Humbert leads home hopes and starts against Lorenzo Sonego. Two-time finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas is in the bottom half and opens against Marton Fucsovics.

In the women’s draw, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who is in line for a hat-trick of French Open titles, could meet a qualifier or a lucky loser.

Swiatek could face former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the second round.

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is drawn to face Erika Andreeva in the opener while Coco Gauff will start her proceedings against a qualifier or a lucky loser.

Former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina will meet Greet Minnen of Belgium in the first round.

Swiatek could meet defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the last eight while Gauff could meet eighth-seed and three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals.

Rybakina may run into seventh-seeded Chinese Qinwen Zheng while Sabalenka is expected to play eighth-seeded Greek Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek and Gauff could play one semifinal while Rybakina and Sabalenka would play the other.

Some interesting first-round matches to watch out at Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev

Stan Wawrinka vs Andy Murray

Karen Khachanov vs Sumit Nagal

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Marton Fucsovics

Jannik Sinner vs Christopher Eubanks

Jakub Mensik vs Casper Ruud

Naomi Osaka vs Lucia Bronzetti

Jelena Ostapenko vs Jaqueline Cristian

Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova

Maria Sakkari vs Varvara Gracheva

Yulia Putintseva vs Sloane Stephens