French Open 2026: Who Are The Defending Champions, Favourites, Top Seeds At Roland Garros

The French Open begins in Paris on Sunday, May 24 with tennis stars out to get their hands on the coveted trophy. Italian number one, Jannik Sinner has had a terrific 2026 and will look to continue that at Roland Garros. With no Carlos Alcaraz, this presents a great opportunity for Sinner to go all the way and become the Clay court champion.

On the women's singles side, Aryna Sabalenka will be favourite once again but her record at Roland Garros does not make a pretty good read. Iga Swiatek will be eager to stamp her authority whereas Coco Gauff is the defending champion.

Here's what you need to know about the second tennis Grand Slam of 2026 - French Open regarding the schedule, who the reigning champions are and more

Who Are The Reigning Champions?

Coco Gauff of the United States and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain are the defending champs in the men's and women's singles category, respectively.

Gauff won the trophy for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) for his fifth major title in as many finals.

Who Are The Top Seeds?

Aryna Sabalenka is the women’s top seed, and Sinner is the men’s top seed. They are ranked No. 1 and the tournament seedings follow the WTA and ATP rankings.

Who Are The Favourites?

Well, French Open has seen some crazy results and this year too, promises the same storyline. Despite the favourites tag, Sinner and Sabalenka are in for a tough outing on clay court. Expect the likes of Mirra Andreeva, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff etc to push the Belaurssian in the women's category.

All eyes will be on Novak Djokovic as the Serb eyes another Roland Garros title. At 39-years-old, this could potentially be his last French Open unless the Serb has a change of heart.

French Open 2026: Schedule

• Sunday through Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)

• Wednesday-Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)

• May 29-30: Third Round (Women and Men)

• May 31-June 1: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

• June 2-3: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

• June 4: Women’s Semifinals

• June 5: Men’s Semifinals

• June 6: Women’s Final

• June 7: Men’s Final