French Open draw set for May 21

Roland-Garros will make the 2026 French Open singles draws on Thursday, May 21, with main-draw play beginning Sunday, May 24, at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. The tournament’s official schedule lists the clay-court Grand Slam running through June 7, with the women’s final set for June 6 and the men’s final for June 7. Jannik Sinner enters as the top men’s seed, while Coco Gauff returns as defending women’s champion. Carlos Alcaraz will not defend the men’s title this year. ### When exactly is the draw, and what starts afterward? Thursday, May 21, is the key date before the main event. Roland-Garros said the singles draws will be made earlier that day during Opening Week, ahead of media day on Friday and first-round main-draw action on Sunday, May 24. Opening Week began before the main draw. Roland-Garros ticketing and schedule pages show qualifying and related events started on May 18, with the full tournament stretching to June 7. ### Who comes in at the top of the men’s field? Jannik Sinner leads the men’s field in Paris. ATP Tour’s tournament preview names Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev among the headline players for the 2026 edition at Roland Garros. (rolandgarros.com) Carlos Alcaraz is absent from the title-defense picture. Multiple previews ahead of the draw say Alcaraz will not return to defend the men’s championship, leaving Sinner at the top of the field entering Thursday’s bracket reveal. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros has also flagged unseeded threats before the draw. The tournament’s official site published a list of “danger men” outside the seeds, part of the pre-draw focus on possible early-round complications for top players. (atptour.com) ### What is the women’s side waiting to see? Coco Gauff returns to Paris as defending champion. Pre-tournament coverage identifies Gauff as the 2025 women’s winner and one of the central names in the 2026 draw. (usatoday.com) The women’s bracket could produce difficult early matchups. Roland-Garros has highlighted dangerous unseeded women before the draw, and outside coverage has noted that players such as Zheng Qinwen enter Paris without a seed after slipping down the rankings. (rolandgarros.com) ### What does the tournament schedule look like once play begins? May 24-26 are scheduled for the first round of singles, according to Olympics.com’s event schedule for Roland-Garros 2026. (yardbarker.com) The second round follows on May 27-28, the third round on May 29-30, and the fourth round from May 31 to June 1. June 2-3 are set for the quarterfinals. (rolandgarros.com) The women’s semifinals are scheduled for June 4, the men’s semifinals for June 5, the women’s final for June 6 and the men’s final for June 7. ### Where will fans find the bracket once it is official? Roland-Garros has a dedicated results and draws page for the 2026 tournament. The official site says it will carry draws, schedules, live scores and results throughout the event. (olympics.com) The next milestone is Thursday, May 21, when the men’s and women’s singles brackets are set in Paris. Main-draw matches then begin on Sunday, May 24, with championship weekend concluding on June 6 and June 7. (olympics.com) (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)