Alex de Minaur will start his French Open towards Belarusian world No.86 Ilya Ivashka however the draw has provided few favours for the remainder of the Australian contingent in Paris.
De Minaur is Australia’s solely seed this 12 months and might be bidding to win his opening match on the pink filth for under the third time after 4 first-round exits from his six earlier campaigns.
If he will get previous Ivashka, the world No.19 will meet both Brit Jack Draper or Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry within the second spherical.
With two wins, 18th-seeded de Minaur might probably face both two-time finalist Dominic Thiem or fifteenth seed Borna Coric in spherical three.
In an rueful match-up, new Australian No.3 Max Purcell has drawn fellow Sydneysider Jordan Thompson for his opener.
In-form Chris O’Connell has additionally copped a wretched draw.
O’Connell opens towards Japan’s Taro Daniel, with the winner’s “reward” a probable second-round conflict with world No.1 and males’s title favorite Carlos Alcaraz.
Wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis begins towards British twentieth seed Dan Evans, with former champion Stan Wawrinka probably ready in spherical two for the winner.
Jason Kubler and former French Open junior boys’ champion Alexei Popyrin will each play qualifiers within the first spherical.
With a win, Kubler would meet both Canadian tenth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Italian veteran Fabio Fognini within the second spherical.
US twelfth seed Frances Tiafoe can be Popyrin’s seemingly second-round opponent.
Kim Birrell, the one Australian confirmed within the girls’s singles following Ajla Tomljanovic’s official withdrawal hours earlier than Thursday’s draw with a knee damage, will play French wildcard Leolia Jeanjean within the first spherical.
Tomljanovic had been clinging to the hope of a return at Roland Garros however was by no means realistically going to make it, having not performed since final final 12 months’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November.
Tomljanovic’s scratching means Australia did not have a direct entrant within the girls’s singles for the primary time within the 55-year period {of professional} tennis.
Like Kokkinakis, Birrell was awarded a reciprocal wildcard in Tennis Australia’s association with the French tennis federation.
If Birrell wins her first abroad grand slam match, the 25-year-old Gold Coaster might play Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in spherical two.
Storm Hunter and Jaimee Fourlis are hoping to spice up the depleted girls’s shares, each one qualifying win away from making the primary draw.
Hunter, largely a doubles specialist, performs American teenager Ashlyn Krueger within the remaining spherical of qualifying, with Fourlis up towards French house favorite Fiona Ferro.
WHO THE AUSSIES PLAY IN THE FRENCH OPEN FIRST ROUND (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING):
Men’s singles
18-Alex de Minaur v Ilya Ivashka (BLR)
Max Purcell v Jordan Thompson
Jason Kubler v qualifier
Alexei Popyrin v qualifier
Chris O’Connell v Taro Daniel (JPN)
Thanasi Kokkinakis v 20-Dan Evans (GBR)
Women’s singles
Kim Birrell v Leolia Jeanjean (FRA)
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
