Roland-Garros begins this Sunday, Porte d’Auteuil. Invited by the Grand Slam organizers, Fiona Ferro and Diane Parry did not have the same luck in the draw. Monegasque Valentin Vacherot will have to wait for the end of qualifying to know his opponent’s name.
The most anticipated Grand Slam for French players is here. The courts of Roland-Garros will come alive for 15 days starting this Sunday, May 24, 2026. For this new edition, the organizers have awarded two wild cards to Maralpine players, Fiona Ferro and Diane Parry. A godsend since neither player was ranked in the top 100 at the time of the cut.
Although Diane Parry was close, her performances in Madrid and Rome had caused her to drop in the rankings. Now back at 94th place in the world after her success at the Clarins Trophy, her first major title on clay, she intends to have a good run during this fortnight. Especially since the draw has been relatively favorable to the 23-year-old player, who will face Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (29 years old, 84th in the world). A player who has never really shone on Paris clay, with her best result being a second round last year in five appearances. Formerly in the top 25, the native of Nova Kakhovka will not go in as an underdog. Playing in the Strasbourg WTA 500 tournament this week, she is currently qualified for the quarter-finals. This should build confidence before facing the French player. On her side, Diane Parry is already in Paris to train. Eliminated in the Round of 16 by Shuai Zhang in Strasbourg yesterday, the Nice native will have a few days of rest to finalize her preparations. This first-round match should not take place before Monday.
Fiona Ferro draws a tough opponent
Back in good form after her absence due to a wrist problem that kept her off the courts for nearly two months, Fiona Ferro did not get an easy draw. The Valbonnaise, winner of the Oeiras tournament, also invited by the organizers, will face young Russian Mirra Andreeva (19 years old, 8th in the world). A duel that promises to be very one-sided against the player who reached a semi-final in 2024 and a quarter-final in 2025 lost to Lois Boisson, formerly a resident of the Nice Giordan Tennis Club. Suffice to say that a Fiona Ferro victory in the first round would be a major upset given how dominant the young Russian seems on Paris clay. Also eliminated in the Round of 16 but in Rabat this week, Fiona Ferro will need to refine her strategy to try to upset her opponent, whom she had already faced in 2023 during a Swiss challenger on clay. Mirra Andreeva won in three sets.
On the men’s side, Valentin Vacherot will be seeded 16th and aims for a good run in his second Roland-Garros singles appearance. Eliminated in the first round last year, the Monegasque now has a new status following his performances at the end of last season at the Shanghai Masters 1000 and this year at home in Monte-Carlo. In the first round, he will face a qualifier or a lucky loser before potentially playing the winner of the match between Alejandro Tabilo (winner of the Aix-en-Provence tournament) and Kamil Majchrzak. The Principality player could then have a relatively clear draw with a potential Round of 16 showdown against Felix Auger-Aliassime, a quarter-final against Russian Daniil Medvedev and a semi-final against the giant Jannik Sinner who will target a first title at this 2026 Roland-Garros edition.
It remains to know the dates and times of matches for these three players whose progress will be followed on Nice Premium.
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