Alcaraz, Kokkinakis Headline Roland Garros Qualifying Draw
#NextGenATP sensation Carlos Alcaraz headlines the field in Roland Garros qualifying, where he will try to reach the main draw for the first time.
Eight months ago, the teen lost in the first round of qualifying in Paris. But now, the 18-year-old arrives on the terre battue with momentum after winning an ATP Challenger Tour event in Oeiras, Portugal. That victory will propel him into the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday at World No. 94.
Alcaraz will face a tough test in the first round against two-time ATP Tour finalist Lukas Lacko. The Slovakian has climbed as high as World No. 44 and competed in the main draw or qualifying at Roland Garros 11 times.
An interesting first-round qualifying match will see ninth seed Mackenzie McDonald take on Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, with the winner to potentially face two-time tour-level champion Robin Haase in the second round. McDonald made the fourth round at the Australian Open this year and Kokkinakis won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Biella, Italy on Saturday.
Ernests Gulbis, the 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist, plays second seed Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round and Austrian ATP Cup standout Dennis Novak opens against Spaniard Mario Vilella Martinez.
View Qualifying Draw
Other players to watch include 19-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo, this year’s Cordoba titlist, and #NextGenATP Americans Brandon Nakashima and Jenson Brooksby. Brooksby has captured three ATP Challenger Tour trophies this season.
The top seed in qualifying is Ilya Ivashka of Belarus and former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo will also be in action.