Present and former college students head to Paris for the 2023 French Open

As the second Grand Slam of the season, the French Open marks the crescendo of the professional clay court season as top players from around the country look to turn heads on the world-famous red clay at Roland Garros.

With many former champions not included in the singles draw, including 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, the field is poised for a rookie to make a splash, with many current and former students looking to fill that void.

In 2023, 21 players with college ties make up the men’s and women’s singles draw, with 16 men’s players in the men’s singles draw and five players in the women’s singles draw.

Francisco Cerundolo (23) (South Carolina), Cameron Norrie (14) (TCU) and Ben Shelton (30) (Florida) enter the French Open as seeded players, with Norrie being the highest ranked and college seed in the draw.

Former Texas A&M Aggie Patrick Kypson makes his first Grand Slam appearance since turning full-time in 2018. The former U18 boys’ champion qualified for the French Open main draw thanks to USTA’s Rolland Garros Wildcard Challenge.

JJ Wolf (Ohio State) and Shelton will be looking to capitalize on the Australian Open’s strong run over the next few weeks in Paris. The duo met in the fourth round in Melbourne, and Shelton emerged victorious and advanced to his first Grand Slam quarter-final of his young career.

On the women’s side, it’s a youth wave sweeping through the main draw as current undergraduates and freshmen Diana Shnaider (North Carolina State), Emma Navarro (Virginia) and Peyton Stearns (Texas) have been given direct entry into the main draw. All three players made their debuts in the WTA Top 100 this year and will be looking to maintain their position on the French Open tour.

Danielle Collins (Florida, Virginia) will face American Jessica Pegula in the first round. The two-time NCAA singles champion is the last high schooler to appear in a Grand Slam final when she did so at the 2022 Australian Open.

These athletes make up just a small percentage of all current and former students participating in this year’s French Open. Look out for the men’s pairs, women’s doubles and mixed doubles draws in the coming days, with many teams made up of college students.

The game will start on Sunday, May 28 from Paris, France. The action will last until June 11, when all the Grand Slam champions will be determined.

Single men

single women

Men’s Doubles

Soon

Women’s doubles

Soon

Mixed doubles

Soon