Canadians learn – Victoria Mboko, seeded ninth, will open against world No. 65 Nikola Bartunkova, while Leylah Fernandez meets world No. 80 Alycia Parks. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime—seeded fourth—draws Daniel Altmaier, with other Canadian matchups set for the first
The season’s second Grand Slam is underway in every sense of the word—right down to the opening-round nerves—and the Canadian contingent now knows who it will have to face at the French Open.
For Victoria Mboko, the draw could look tricky on paper from the start. Seeded ninth, the 19-year-old will play world No. 65 Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia in the first round after the pairings were revealed Thursday. Mboko’s opponent isn’t a stranger to breakthrough moments: Bartunkova. 20. reached the third round at this year’s Australian Open in her Grand Slam debut. and she also advanced to the round of 16 on clay as a lucky loser at the Italian Open earlier this month. stepping in after an injured Mboko.
Mboko will take heart from her own French Open history, though. She reached the third round in her first career French Open last year. This time, the opening match sets the tone early—because Bartunkova’s path to the second-week momentum has already been written once this season.
Leylah Fernandez is the other Canadian in the women’s draw. Seeded 24th, Fernandez will begin her campaign against world No. 80 Alycia Parks in the opening round. The two players have met before, with their career series tied at 1-1. Fernandez’s best showing in Paris remains a quarterfinal run in 2022.
The men’s draw brings its own Canadian expectations. Felix Auger-Aliassime leads the country’s group as the No. 4 seed, and he’ll meet German veteran Daniel Altmaier, the world No. 65, in the first round. Their career series is tied at 2-2. giving the match a sense of balance—one both players will likely feel when they step onto the court.
The other two Canadian men are unseeded, with Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo—ranked 46th—set to face world No. 83 James Duckworth of Australia. Denis Shapovalov, ranked 37th, will play a qualifier or lucky loser in his first-round match.
All of it culminates in the same moment now drawing closer: the main draw starts Sunday.
French Open Canadians Victoria Mboko Nikola Bartunkova Leylah Fernandez Alycia Parks Felix Auger-Aliassime Daniel Altmaier Gabriel Diallo James Duckworth Denis Shapovalov tennis draw
So who’s playing who, like is it singles or doubles? French Open is confusing.
Honestly I don’t get it, Mboko is “seeded ninth” but they say it’s tricky right away… so is she good or not lol. Also Nikola Bartunkova sounds like she’s gonna be a problem.
Leylah Fernandez vs Alycia Parks… didn’t they already play like 5 times? I swear every tournament it’s the same matchup. And why does it say “tied 1-1” like that matters when clay is totally different.
Felix Auger-Aliassime being the 4 seed should mean he steamrolls Daniel Altmaier, but I’ve seen upsets constantly. Also Denis Shapovalov playing a qualifier or lucky loser sounds like a trap because those guys always catch fire for no reason. Main draw Sunday though right, so hopefully the nerves don’t mess them up.