With both ATP/WTA 1000s all wrapped up, all eyes turn to Roland Garros for the French Open. With most top players taking this week to rest up and get used to the conditions in Paris, the headlines will be focused on those trying to get into the main draw.
Some familiar names headline day one with Sam Querrey, Andreas Seppi, Lesia Tsurenko, and Anastasia Potapova as the notable names playing tomorrow.
Fruhvirtova's Fruitful Season
Teen sensation Linda Fruhvirtova has had a wonderful season so far at just 17-years-old. Shortly after her ITF Title in Meixco, she made waves at the Miami Open with three stunning wins over Danka Kovinic, Elise Mertens, and Victoria Azarenka. Her run came to an end at the hands of world number two Paula Badosa, but she clearly made a name for herself to the general public.
She has yet to play in any Grand Slam main draw and her road to a first one starts against Kataryna Kawa. The Pole is 25th seed in the draw but will have to be wary of a potential letdown against the Czech. Fruhvirtova has not had the big success on the clay, like she had to finish the first part of the hard court season, however, she's still played some top-100 closely which is encouraging signs for her.
Upset Alert
Immediately looking at the draw, third-seeded Sam Querrey looks to be on potential upset alert already. The American is an underdog in the books to Hungarian Zsombor Piros. Querrey has struggled to get wins all year, with his lone wins coming in Indian Wells and Houston.
Andreas Seppi is the next seed that looks to be in danger against Giulio Zeppieri. The 38-year-old Italian has not won back-to-back matches since his opening tournament in Melbourne and has not played on clay at all this season. His Italian counterpart has played most of his Challenger season on the clay. Zeppieri showed signs of being able to compete in the ATP with a little more time after his showing at the Italian Open.
Former French Open finalist Sara Errani meets a familiar foe in Jang Su-Jeong. The pair met during Australian Open qualifiers. Errani was known for her prowess on the terre battue but has more wins on hard courts this year so far. Jang has stayed in Australia all year until this past week where she played in a WTA Challenger in Paris.
The Korean picked up a win and pushed fourth-seeded Varvara Gracheva to the brink. Will Errani be able to use her guile and craft to get this win or will the form of Jang surpass that?
Matches To Watch Out For
With 60-plus matches taking place tomorrow, there will surely be some matches to look for. Arthur Fils against Gabriel Debru springs to mind as two of France's emerging stars of the future. Debru made the quarterfinals in his Challenger debut last year after coming through qualifiers while Fils has worked his way through multiple qualifiers this year to earn a few main draw wins in Challengers as well.
Thomas Fabbiano against Nuno Borges jumps out as the "Match of the Day" Borges has enjoyed a strong season with two finals and one Challenger title so far. Fabbiano is a former top-100 player struggling to get wins at any level this season. Borges missed out on Australian Open qualifiers this year and will now get the chance to qualify on his favorite surface should he pick up some wins.