French Open: Gauff-Anisimova, Pegula-Sabalenka potential quarterfinals
May 21 (UPI) -- Potential Coco Gauff-Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula-Aryna Sabalenka quarterfinals were unveiled through Thursday's draw for the 2026 French Open.
Main-draw play for the second Grand Slam of the tennis season will start Sunday in Paris. The respective 128-player fields in the men's and women's singles draws will compete for first-place prizes of $3.2 million.
Coverage of the French Open will air on TNT, truTV, HBO Max and YouTube. The full men's and women's singles draws can be found here.
The players will compete for a total purse of $72.1 million -- a sum the world's top players criticized for being too little, sparking a protest and threats of future boycotts.
While no boycotts are expected this year on the clay courts of Roland Garros, a notable absence will undoubtedly impact the men's draw. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, who won the last two French Open titles, will miss the tournament because of a wrist injury.
Men's No. 11 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, a 2025 semifinalist, No. 43 Holger Rune, and No. 74 Jack Draper, along with women's No. 103 Paula Badosa, No. 109 Karolina Pliskova and No. 160 Bianca Andreescu, are among the other top players fans won't see in main-draw play.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy is a heavy favorite to win the men's singles title. No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany, No. 4 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, No. 19 Arthur Fils of France and No. 29 Rafael Jodar of Spain are among other expected contenders.
No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland and Sabalenka (No. 1) are the favorites for the women's crown. No.2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, Gauff (No. 4) and No. 8 Mirra Andreeva of Russia are among other Top-5 favorites.
Gauff, who beat Sabalenka of Belarus for the 2025 singles title, will start her title defense against No. 72 Taylor Townsend, a fellow American. The winner of that match will take on No. 117 Dalma Galfi of Italy or a qualifier for a ticket to the third round.
Gauff could meet another highly ranked American, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, in the quarterfinals if both players win their first four matches.
The winner of that hypothetical meeting could face Sabalenka or No. 5 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the semifinals. Sabalenka and Pegula could meet in a quarterfinal if both Top 5 players win their first four matches.
While the men's draw seems a bit watered-down because of the absences of Alcaraz and other elite competitors, several intriguing paths remain.
Sinner will start his run against No. 165 Clemente Tabur of France. The Italian could meet No. 6 Ben Shelton, the top-ranked American man, in the quarterfinals if both players win their first four matches. No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, No. 7 Daniil Medvedev of Russia and No. 12 Flavio Cobolli of Italy are among the top players Shelton or Sinner could meet in the semifinals.
Americans Learner Tien (No. 20) and Frances Tiafoe (No. 21) are also in the top half of the men's singles draw.
The bottom half of the men's draw features paths for several other compelling clashes. No. 8 Taylor Fritz could meet Zverev in the quarterfinals. Fritz also could face fellow American Tommy Paul (No. 26) in a semifinal if both players get hot and win their first five matches.
Paul's path includes potential meetings with Djokovic, No. 17 Casper Ruud of Norway, No. 13 Andrey Rublev of Russia and No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia, among others. He could meet Djokovic as soon as the fourth round.
French Open schedule
Sunday
First-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Monday
First-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Tuesday
First-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Wednesday
Second-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Thursday, May 28
Second-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Friday, May 29
Third-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Saturday, May 30
Third-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Sunday, May 31
Fourth-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Monday, June 1
Fourth-round coverage at 6 a.m. on TNT
Tuesday, June 2
Quarterfinal coverage from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on TNT and truTV
Wednesday, June 3
Quarterfinal coverage from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on TNT and truTV
Thursday, June 4
Women's semifinal coverage at 9 a.m. on TNT and truTV
Friday, June 5
Men's semifinal coverage at 8:30 a.m. on TNT and truTV
Saturday, June 6
Women's singles final at 9 a.m. on TNT and truTV
Sunday, June 7
Men's singles final at 9 a.m. on TNT and truTV
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 9:24 AM.