FRENCH OPEN QUALIFYING DAY 2: AUSSIES IN ACTION, OPPONENTS, SCHEDULE
- Christian Montegan
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Seven Aussies will bid to reach the second-round of French Open qualifying, with some strong battles awaiting.
On Day 1, Bernard Tomic, Jason Kubler, and Maddison Inglis sealed progression to round two, as five Australians were sent packing.
Shop with a 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15 - excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards at www.tennisdirect.com.au
Having won just three games against Katie Boulter in the round of 16 stage of the WTA 125k Paris event last week, Daria Saville will be hoping to strike better luck against another Brit in Heather Watson.
Saville, 31, scored her first on the clay this season in the same tournament when she saved match point in a three-set thriller, later revealing that she "really needed this" for her confidence.
She has defeated Watson in their only two meetings on clay, with the Aussie winning both in straight sets (Charleston 2024 and Madrid 2016).
Returning from an Achilles injury suffered in April last year, Storm Hunter will feature in her first Slam since the 2024 Australian Open as she tackles 30th seed Zhang Shuai.
A second-round entrant on two occasions at the French Open main draw, world No.149 Astra Sharma will be seeking another positive Parisian run, but will first begin her qualifying campaign against American Emina Bektas, while Lizette Cabrera must get past fifth-seed Mananchaya Sawangkaew if she is to equal her second-round qualifying appearance achieved in 2018 and 2022.
20-year-old Talia Gibson has been dealt a tough draw despite seeding protection, as she takes on experienced 37-year-old Mihaela Buzǎrnescu.
Aussie women: Daria Saville [26] v Heather Watson [Great Britain] (6pm AEST)
Storm Hunter v Zhang Shuai [30] [China] (Not before 7:10pm AEST)
Astra Sharma v Emina Bektas [USA] (Not before 9:30pm AEST)
Lizette Cabrera v Mananchaya Sawangkaew [5] [Thailand] (Not before 9:30pm AEST)
Talia Gibson [23] v Mihaela Buzǎrnescu [Romania] (Not before 10:40pm AEST)
Only two Aussie men feature on Day 2, but Omar Jasika will be up against it from the first ball against Daniel Galán, although the latter is on a three-game winless run.
This will be Jasika's second French Open qualifying effort, having made his debut 12 months ago with a first-round loss.
However, after making a name for himself at the 2024 US Open by taking a set off Carlos Alcaraz, Li Tu will fancy his chances against world No.311 Clement Tabur.
Both Jasika and Tu are yet to contest a match on clay this year.
Aussie men: Li Tu v Clement Tabur [France] (Not before 8:20pm AEST)
Omar Jasika v Daniel Galán [18] [Colombia] (Not before 9:30pm AEST)
AATC – Australasian Academy of Tennis Coaches, Providing Quality Coach Education Globally. Led by Industry Leaders and Tennis Business Owners who understand your journey. 🌏 Learn Locally, Coach Globally 🚀 Start Your Coaching Journey Today. Enrol Now at www.aatc.tennis
