2023-05-25 17:46:49
Novak Djokovic, 3rd in the world, and world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz could face each other in the semi-finals, according to the draw made on Thursday May 25. Among the women, a potential half would oppose the defending champion Iga Swiatek, to that of Wimbledon 2022, the Kazakh Elena Rybakina.
The convalescent giant Rafa Nadal is therefore absent, the men’s draw has rarely been as open as this year. One of the big questions was whether the tournament’s two main favorites, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, could face each other before the final, with the Serb having dropped back to third in the world. Fate decided yes this Thursday, May 25, placing him in half of the Spaniard’s table.
That’s for the theoretical. In fact, it is obviously not said that these two cross in the last four, as the contenders for the succession of Nadal are legion this year. For Alcaraz, 20 years old and already world number 1, after a first round against a player from the qualifications, the road seems clear until the quarter-finals, where the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (5th), finalist in 2021 could wait. At 36 and in search of a record 23rd Major, Djokovic will begin his journey against the American Aleksandar Kovacevic (114th) by aiming for a quarter probably against the Russian Andrey Rublev (7th).
The bottom of the table looks even more undecided: Russian Daniil Medvedev, who surprised everyone by winning his first clay-court title in Rome last week, will start against a player from qualifying and would head for a supposed quarter-final against the ‘Italian Jannik Sinner (8th). The other quarter could see rising Danish star Holger Rune (6th), finalist this year in Monte-Carlo and Rome, face off against Norwegian Casper Ruud, finalist at Porte d’Auteuil last year.
On the French side, fate did not spare Benoît Paire (149th) who, having received an invitation, will be opposed from the start to the Briton Cameron Norrie (14th), while the two tricolor hopefuls Luca van Assche (79th) and Arthur Son (112th), finalists of Roland-Garros juniors in 2021, could find themselves in the second round of the main draw this year. Provided that the first overcomes the Italian Marco Cecchinato (73rd) and that the second gets out of the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich, seeded 29.
Garcia-Sabalenka in the fourth?
In the women’s draw, it was all about which of the three in-form women (Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina) would face off before the final. The draw gave birth to a potential half between the Polish Iga Swiatek, world number 1 and defending champion, and the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, winner of Wimbledon 2022, titled in Rome last weekend. The American Coco Gauff, beaten in the final last year by Swiatek, is for her part placed on the trajectory of the Polish on the horizon of the quarter-finals.
If the hierarchy is respected, the other semi-final would oppose the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (n°2), crowned in January with her first Grand Slam in Australia, against the American Jessica Pegula (n°3), not reassuring this year on clay. In the same part of the table, Caroline Garcia (n°5), who will face the Chinese Xiyu Wang from the start, could take advantage of a clear start to the tournament to make her way and regain her confidence after a start to the season. complicated. Before a potential quarter against Sabalenka.
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