Round 2 popcorn matches

Iga Swiatek vs. Naomi Osaka:

This one speaks for itself: the current No. 1 vs. the former No. 1, with eight Grand Slam titles between them. All eyes were on this potential meeting when the women’s singles draw was made last week – and it’s come to fruition.

Title-favourite Swiatek has won 15 straight matches at Roland-Garros while new mum Osaka – who’s learning to embrace the terre battue surface she once dreaded in her career’s second act – have split two previous meetings, but both of those came on hard courts.

Jannik Sinner vs. Richard Gasquet:

With Sinner’s troublesome hip apparently on the mend, the No. 2 seed is a heavy favourite in this generational clash, but it’s meaningful to the story of Roland-Garros this year for many reasons.

It's a necessary hurdle to pass if the Australian Open champion wants to leave Paris as the ATP’s new world No.1, while it’s unclear for how much longer fans will see Gasquet, now nearly 38 years old and playing in Paris for a 21st time, match wits with the game’s best players. 

Denis Shapovalov vs. Frances Tiafoe:

Neither Shapovalov nor Tiafoe would tell you that their favourite surface is clay, but sparks and flashy shot-making are guaranteed in the seventh career meeting between these two former top 10 players, who are just a year apart in age.

So is equalling their best-ever Roland-Garros showing: both made the third round last year for the first time. 

Anna Kalinskaya vs. Bianca Andreescu:

2019 US Open champion Andreescu made a welcome return to competition in her first-round win over Sara Sorribes Tormo, her first competitive action in nine months.

The Canadian no doubt built up sorely-needed rally tolerance in her 7-5, 6-1 win against the dogged Spaniard (she hit 42 winners to just 25 unforced errors), and that will serve her well against Kalinskaya, the No. 23 seed and one of the breakthrough players of 2024.

Caroline Garcia vs. Sofia Kenin:

A French favorite vs. a former finalist. On paper, what more can you ask for? The wildcard here, though, is that Garcia and Kenin entered Roland-Garros looking for their best form: Kenin lost nine straight matches at one stage in 2024, and Garcia had earlier-than-hoped for exits in both Madrid and Rome.

But, in similar synergy, both earned hard-fought wins in the first round from a set down. Might those wins mark the beginnings of turnarounds for both?

Ben Shelton vs. Kei Nishikori:

Stop us if you’ve heard this story before: the young star vs. the elder statesman. (You did, a couple of paragraphs ago.) The oft-injured Nishikori, now 34, scored his first Grand Slam victory in three years over Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in a five-set opening round – in just his sixth tournament since the spring of 2021.

Meanwhile, the exuberant American was just 11 years old when Nishikori reached the final of the US Open 10 years ago, and he’ll have to end one of Paris’ sentimental stories should he want to reach the third round here for the first time. 

Gael Monfils vs. Lorenzo Musetti:

Like Gasquet, Monfils too is in the twilight of his career, and faces an Italian who is more than a decade younger than him.

This one also sees two athletic shot-makers (and dads!) go head-to-head, as the Frenchman is seeking his deepest run at Roland-Garros in five years. 

Jelena Ostapenko vs. Clara Tauson:

If you like hard hitting and eye-popping winners, this tussle between the 2017 Roland-Garros champion and the 21-year-old Dane is the match for you.

Tauson, who was ranked No.33 two years ago while still a teenager, is in the midst of a rebuild after troublesome back problems dimmed her once-prodigious rise slightly, but looked more than solid in an easy opening win against a tricky veteran in Germany’s Tatjana Maria. They’ve split two prior meetings (both on indoor hard courts) and each went to three sets. 

Casper Ruud vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina:

The two-time Roland-Garros finalist could certainly have his hands full with the 24-year-old Spaniard, who despite having fallen from his career-high ranking of No. 21 to his current perch outside the top 32 seeds, was nonetheless anointed by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the press room pre-event as one to watch this year.

All the signs are there for a classic: The pair have split four previous meetings, and they have Parisian history. In 2021, Davidovich Fokina beat Ruud in the third round in a fascinating five sets, 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(6), 0-6, 7-5, on his way to the quarterfinals. 

Elina Svitolina vs. Diane Parry:

After rallying to win the highest-profile women’s first-round match against former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in three sets, the Ukrainian will see a very different style of tennis in the second round in the versatile Parry and her pristine one-handed backhand.

Four-time quarterfinalist Svitolina has been a fan-favourite in Paris even before she became Mrs. Monfils, but she won’t curry the most public favour in this one: the 21-year-old Frenchwoman grew up a stone’s throw from Roland-Garros, sometimes even riding her scooter to the site – and she’s bidding to return to the third round for a second time.