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Swiatek dealt tough French Open draw ahead of title defence

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Clock Icon3 hoursTennis

Iga Swiatek has been dealt a tough hand as she looks to defend her French Open crown, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka on the same side of the draw.

Swiatek is bidding to win for a fourth successive year at Roland-Garros, but an uncertain start to 2025, which has seen her ranking drop to fifth after failing to win a title since the turn of the year.

The Pole is ranked outside the top two of the WTA rankings for the first time since March 2022 – she spent 165 consecutive weeks inside it. And her lower seeding means she could face the leading players earlier than usual.

Should she get past her opener against Rebecca Sramkova, she could face Emma Raducanu in the second round. Jelena Ostapenko, who Swiatek has lost all six meetings with, is a potential fourth-round opponent should she make it past the Brit, who starts against Zinyu Wang.

Jasmine Paolini, who Swiatek beat to earn the crown in 2024, is a possible quarter-final opponent, with Aryna Sabalenka ahead of her in the semi-final, should they both make it that far.

The world number one will begin against Kamilla Rakhimova, with Zheng Qinwen, who beat Sabalenka in the Italian Open, her projected opponent for the last eight.

Number two seed Coco Gauff opens against Olivia Gadecki and could face Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the quarters, while Naomi Osaka is in the third quarter of the draw and opens against Paula Badosa in an intriguing match-up.

On the men's side of the draw, world number one Jannik Sinner and three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic could face off in a blockbuster semi-final.

The pair have been evenly matched in their previous meetings, with a 4-4 head-to-head record, but while Sinner is aiming to clinch a first French Open title, Djokovic is bidding for a record-breaking 25th major title.

Sinner will start against home favourites, facing Arthur Rinderknech in the first round before meeting either Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet, who is competing in the final event of his career, his potential second-round opponents.

Meanwhile, Djokovic will open against Mackenzie McDonald and could meet 2024 finalist Alexander Zverev in the quarters. The German starts his campaign against Learner Tien.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has a tough start, meeting former world number four Kei Nishikori first in Paris.

Big-serving Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas are potential fourth-round opponents, while Casper Ruud, a two-time finalist at Roland-Garros, might await him in the last eight.