Sabalenka top seed; Gauff defending champion

Aryna Sabalenka will head into the 2026 French Open as the women’s top seed, while Coco Gauff returns to Roland-Garros as defending champion. The women’s entry list published ahead of the tournament showed no major absences, with all top 32 players in the WTA rankings set to compete. On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz will not be in Paris after withdrawing last month with a wrist injury. The tournament begins on May 24 at Roland-Garros in Paris. ### Why is Sabalenka the top seed in Paris? Aryna Sabalenka was listed by Roland-Garros as the current World No. 1 when the tournament published its 2026 entry lists. The official tournament site said Sabalenka arrived after a strong early season and would be the leading name in the women’s singles field. (rolandgarros.com) Tennis365 reported on May 20 that Sabalenka is the No. 1 seed for the women’s draw, placing her at the top of the bracket for the second Grand Slam of the year. That same report listed Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek among the leading contenders in the field. (rolandgarros.com) ### What makes Gauff’s return different this year? Coco Gauff arrives in Paris as the defending champion after winning the 2025 title. Roland-Garros said Gauff beat Sabalenka in last year’s final to claim the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen, giving her a second major title. The official entry-list release framed Gauff’s return around her title defense, asking whether she can retain the trophy in Paris. (tennis365.com) That gives the women’s event a clear carryover storyline from last year’s final between Gauff and Sabalenka. ### How complete is the women’s field? The 2026 women’s entry list currently includes the top 32 players in the WTA rankings, according to Tennis365. (rolandgarros.com) The report said there had been no big-name withdrawals from the women’s field as of May 20. The WTA’s tournament hub also lists Roland Garros among the active events on the calendar as the clay-court major approaches. (rolandgarros.com) The absence of late withdrawals among the top seeds means the tournament is set to open with its full top-ranked women’s contingent intact, based on the latest published field. ### Why is Alcaraz missing from the tournament? Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Roland-Garros on April 24 because of a wrist injury, according to the tournament’s official site. (tennis365.com) Roland-Garros said the Spaniard, a two-time defending men’s champion, would miss the Paris event for the first time since 2021. (wtatennis.com) The ATP Tour also reported that Alcaraz announced he would miss both Rome and Roland Garros after medical tests. The ATP said the decision removed the World No. 2 from the clay-court major where he had been defending 2,000 ranking points. ### Who are the other names around the women’s draw? Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and other top-ranked players are also on the women’s entry list published by Roland-Garros. (rolandgarros.com) Tennis365 said the full top 32 in the WTA rankings are entered, giving the tournament a field with its leading seeds intact. (atptour.com) Roland-Garros’ official site and the WTA both list the tournament as the next Grand Slam stop on clay. The draw and first-round schedule will determine when Sabalenka, Gauff and the other seeded players begin play once the main draw starts on May 24 in Paris. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)