French Open Preview: Who are the Brits heading to Roland Garros?

25/05/2019

| French Open

Kyle Edmund plays a forehand during the 2018 French Open

Britain's top players are preparing to make their mark at the French Open, with the second Grand Slam of the year getting underway in Paris on Sunday. Kyle Edmund, Johanna Konta and Jamie Murray will lead the British charge, and there are some intriguing contests to look forward to after an exciting draw was confirmed.

Who are the men?

Top-ranked Brit Kyle Edmund faces a tough first-round assignment as he takes on local favourite and world No.40 Jeremy Chardy, with the head-to-head record between the duo confirming we can expect a close contest at Roland Garros. 

Edmund, who is seeded No.28, won their only meeting on an outdoor clay court in Barcelona in 2017, but Chardy got the better of his British rival in a Davis Cup tie later that same year.

British No.2 Cameron Norrie, who has shown some impressive form in the clay court season, will take on world No.273 Elliot Benchetrit in his opening match, with his original opponent Nick Kyrgios pulling out of the tournament shortly after the draw. Norrie heads to Paris after celebrating a new career-high of world No.41.

Meanwhile, British No.3 and world No.77 Dan Evans will aim to build on his impressive form in 2019 when he takes on 23rd seed Fernando Verdasco in the opening round. The Spaniard is always a threat at the French Open, having made it through to the fourth round on seven occasions, including the last two years.

Who are the women?

British No.1 Johanna Konta has taken her inspired form leading Britain's Fed Cup team onto the WTA Tour, with her impressive run to the final of the Italian Open this month including powerful victories against two top ten opponents.

Now 26th seed Konta will look to win her first singles match at the French Open when she takes on German qualifier Antonia Lottner in the opening round, with an opportunity to leap up the WTA rankings if she can make progress in Paris.

Konta will be Britain's sole female representative in the singles draw after her Fed Cup team-mate Katie Boulter was forced to pull out of the tournament with a back injury.

Meanwhile in doubles...

Britain has four players ranked in the top 30 of the ATP doubles rankings heading into the French Open, with seven players ranked inside the top 50 which is more than any other nation. 

World No.8 Jamie Murray leads the pack and is in a confident mood as he looks to build on encouraging clay court form alongside partner Bruno Soares. A run to the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, the final in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Madrid ensures that the double act are a team to watch in Paris after they were seeded second in the draw.

"We are going there to win," Jamie said. "We have been one of the best teams in the world over the last couple of years and we started the clay court season well. Hopefully we can build on that now. 

"I like playing on clay, the challenge of it. You have to work harder on your points and need more shots. You can't hide your weaknesses on clay and I'm looking forward to the French Open."

Murray will lead a strong British challenge at the French Open, and will be joined by fellow Brits Ken and Neal Skupski, Dom Inglot (with Martin Klizan), Joe Salisbury (and Rajeev Ram), Luke Bambridge and Jonny O'Mara in Paris. Dan Evans and Cam Norrie are also set to team up. 

Meanwhile, in the women's doubles, Heather Watson will be Britain's sole representative partnering up with Tatjana Maria.

What about our wheelchair stars?

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in fine form after they played a central role in Britain's BNP Paribas World Team Cup victory in Israel earlier month, and they will head to Paris looking to add to impressive records on the Roland Garros clay.

Hewett won the singles title for the first time in Paris in 2017, while Reid reached the final in Paris the year before and has two doubles titles to his credit in the tournament alongside partner Shingo Kunieda (2015, 2016).

How can I follow the action? 

Live coverage will be available on ITV. Keep up-to-date with all the latest news on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

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