Last week in Rome, Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t help looking ahead—all the way to the Roland Garros final. The defending champion in Paris said he was happy to be back up to No. 2 in the rankings, because it meant he couldn’t face the ATP’s No. 1 player, Jannik Sinner, until the final. That was an improvement on 2024, when the two played a five-set semi.
For the first time, Alcaraz and Sinner, the best male players of the last 18 months, will be seeded No. 1 and 2 at a Grand Slam event. It has taken a while, but the cream of the next generation has officially risen to the top.
That said, a first major final between the Spaniard and the Italian remains many matches, and many twists and turns, away. What else should we be looking for over the next two weeks in Paris? Here are three highlights from the draw.
Alcaraz’s and Sinner’s paths look roughly equal in difficulty
One thing we can generally count on at a Slam: The top players won’t end up facing all of the opponents we thought they would when the draw came out. Some obstacles will get knocked to the side in upsets, while difficult challenges will loom up seemingly out of nowhere.
On paper, though, Sinner and Alcaraz should face remarkably similar levels of opposition.
Sinner will face Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman, who has been ranked as high as No. 42, has a win in three matches against the Italian, and he’ll have the crowd.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will play Kei Nishikori. While Nishikori is 35 and ranked outside the Top 50 now, he’s a three-time quarterfinalist in Paris.
Arthur Fils is perhaps the most intriguing player in the men’s field. France’s latest hope has never won a match at his home Slam, but he has had a breakout spring that has left him at a career-high No. 14. His draw has also left him on course for a fourth-round collision with Sinner. They’ve played once, in 2023, and Sinner won in straight sets indoors.
If Alcaraz wins his first two matches, he could play another young French hope in Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The towering 21-year-old is just 6-9 on the year, and he didn’t win a match—or even a set—in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, or Rome. But he did win a recent Challenger in Bordeaux, and he has a serve no one wants to face.
Two players in Sinner’s quarter fit that description: Jack Draper, winner in Indian Wells, and Jakub Mensik, winner in Miami. Draper, perhaps more importantly, also made a Masters final on clay in Madrid. Sinner is 1-1 vs. Draper, and has never faced Mensik,
Alcaraz’s most likely quarterfinal opponent will be two-time Roland Garros runner-up, and 2025 Madrid champion, Casper Ruud. Alcaraz leads their H2H 4-1, but Ruud won their most recent meeting, indoors in Turin last November.
If they make the semis, Sinner and Alcaraz will have earned it.