World number one Iga Swiatek crashed out of Wimbledon on Saturday, losing to Yulia Putintseva as the top seed’s 21-match win streak came to a shock end in the third round. The Polish star, who won a fourth French Open and fifth Grand Slam title last month, was stunned 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 by the Russian-born Kazakh, who goes on to face the equally fiery Jelena Ostapenko for a quarter-final place. “Feels great, I was just so focused on just playing fast and not giving her any time and that’s pretty much it,” said 29-year-old Putintseva after her win on Court One.

“I was thinking during the match that I had already beaten a world number one on grass so I think it was meant to be,” she added, recalling her win over Naomi Osaka in Birmingham in 2019.

“This is crazy guys, it was great energy from all of you and I was trying to entertain you more and more with my shots and I was taking energy from you guys.”

After winning the first set, it appeared business as usual for Swiatek, who went into Saturday’s match with a 4-0 head-to-head record over the 35th ranked Putintseva.

However, the diminutive Putintseva stormed back in the second set on the back of breaks in the fourth and sixth games.

Putintseva held her nerve to cruise to a double break and a 4-0 lead in the decider.

Swiatek saved two match points but was defeated on the third when she buried a forehand return into the net.

The Pole, who has never got past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, committed 38 unforced errors to Putintseva’s 15. The Kazakh saved seven of eight break points.

It was only the fourth time in the Open era that the Wimbledon top seed had lost in the third round.

That fate befell Ana Ivanovic in 2008, Serena Williams in 2014, Simona Halep in 2018 and Swiatek, who was stunned by Alize Cornet at the same stage two years ago.

Putintseva, a three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, extended her grass-court streak this year to eight wins and no defeats after winning the Birmingham title last month.

Novak Djokovic came through a testing Wimbledon workout to stay on course for a record-equalling eighth men’s title on Thursday as Andy Murray prepared to launch his emotional farewell. Jessica Pegula became the highest-ranked player to exit the tournament so far, dumped out by China’s Wang Xinyu in the second round but women’s top seed Iga Swiatek cruised through. Seven-time champion Djokovic did not have it all his own way against British wild card Jacob Fearnley but came through 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in a match lasting three hours. It appeared to be business as usual for the Serbian as he coasted into a two-set lead on Centre Court but the 277th-ranked Fearnley broke his illustrious opponent twice in the third set to reduce the deficit.

Fearnley, playing in his first Grand Slam, carved out two break points in the sixth game of the fourth set but missed his chance and Djokovic broke in the 11th game before serving out for the win.

“I didn’t have a chance to see him play,” said Djokovic, 37. “Actually two days ago, I saw him for the first time

“Obviously there’s always an element of surprise and with him having nothing to lose.”

“Most of the British players grow up being exposed to grass courts, quick surfaces, so they know exactly how to play. It’s a very windy day, very challenging conditions and I thought he served very well.”

Djokovic, who is playing with protection after a recent knee operation, is seeking to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s titles and is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

Fifth-ranked Pegula went down 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-1 to China’s Wang Xinyu, who celebrated her first win against a top-10 player.

The American battled back after losing the first set, saving a match point in the second-set tie-break, before levelling the match.

But China’s 42nd-ranked Wang raced into a 5-0 lead in the decider and sealed the deal.

Wang, 22, said: “Couple of days ago I was asking my coach, ‘When will this happen?’

“Jessica was really tough to play on grass. Her ball was super low and I’m just really happy I won in the end.”

Wang will face Harriet Dart, who defeated Nottingham champion Katie Boulter in an all-British clash for a spot in the last 16.

World number one Swiatek progressed smoothly into the third round at the expense of Croatia’s Petra Martic, racking up a 21st straight win.

A single break in each set was enough to give the 23-year-old, who has never been past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

All eyes will be on Centre Court in the evening when Murray launches his Wimbledon farewell alongside his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles.

Murray, the champion in 2013 and 2016, was desperate for one last crack at the singles but ran out of time after recent surgery to remove a spinal cyst.

The British former world number one still has a chance to wave goodbye to his adoring fans in both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles as he treads the turf for a final time, 19 years after his Wimbledon debut.

“I’m hoping maybe for a bit of closure. I just want the opportunity to play one more time out there, hopefully on Centre Court, and feel that buzz,” the 37-year-old said before the tournament started.

Murray is a three-time Grand Slam singles champion but has form in the doubles — teaming up with Jamie to help Britain win the 2015 Davis Cup.

The Murrays will face Australian pair Rinky Hijikata and John Peers on Thursday, with the decibel count expected to soar.

Andy Murray is also scheduled to play mixed doubles with British compatriot and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Elsewhere on day four of Wimbledon, two-time finalist Ons Jabeur beat US qualifier Robin Montgomery in straight sets while Elena Rybakina, the 2022 women’s champion, finished strongly to beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

On the men’s side, 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov came back from two sets down to beat China’s Shang Juncheng while Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka exited at the hands of Gael Monfils.

Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, seen as an outside tip for the title, was forced to quit his second-round match against Arthur Fils with a knee injury.

French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, the Wimbledon fourth seed, is last on the list on Court One.

Wimbledon greats Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray launch their campaigns at the All England Club on Tuesday after both went under the knife in the build-up to the Grand Slam. Djokovic, who had a knee operation after pulling out before his French Open quarter-final, is chasing a record-equalling eighth men’s Wimbledon title and opens against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. Britain’s Murray, a two-time champion, takes on another Czech, Tomas Machac, just over a week after having surgery to remove a cyst from his spine, in his farewell appearance at the tournament.

Also in action on the second day of the Championships is women’s world number one and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, eager to progress beyond the quarter-finals for the first time.

Here’s a rundown of the three matches to watch on Tuesday:

Novak Djokovic v Vit Kopriva

World number two Novak Djokovic has declared himself “pain-free” after initial fears he would miss Wimbledon following surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

The Serbian has not played since he was forced to withdraw from the French Open before his last-eight tie against Casper Ruud.

Now 37, he knows time is not on his side as he bids to equal Roger Federer’s Wimbledon record and become the first player — man or woman — to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles.

Djokovic, who practised with a knee support on Sunday, said he had an “incredible desire” to play”.

He arrives in London without a title to his name this season, losing his Australian Open crown and the number one ranking to 22-year-old Jannik Sinner.

The Serbian, who has reached the past five finals at Wimbledon, faces Vit Kopriva, ranked 123rd, for the first time in his career.

Andy Murray v Tomas Machac

It has been a case of “will he or won’t he?” in the build-up to Wimbledon for home hero Andy Murray after his operation just over a week before the start of the tournament.

The 37-year-old is hoping to finish his career at the upcoming Paris Olympics but desperately wants to make a final appearance in London.

The injury-ravaged Scot has slipped to 113th in the world rankings but it now appears he will get his dream of a send-off at Wimbledon, where he is also listed to play doubles alongside brother Jamie.

The former world number one is due to face 39th-ranked Tomas Machac on Centre Court on Tuesday, with emotions running high.

The Czech player leads 2-0 in head-to-heads, with both wins coming this year.

“I’m hoping maybe for a bit of closure,” said Murray, who won the Wimbledon title in 2013 and 2016.

“I just want the opportunity to play one more time out there, hopefully on Centre Court, and feel that buzz.”

Iga Swiatek v Sofia Kenin

World number one Iga Swiatek arrives at the All England Club on the back of a 19-match winning streak but with lingering questions over whether she can transfer her clay-court form to the grass.

Swiatek, who has won five trophies already this year, has not played a warm-up tournament on grass, opting to withdraw from the Berlin event in order to rest.

Last year’s quarter-final appearance was her best showing so far at Wimbledon but the Pole, 23, is justifiably tipped to go far at this year’s Wimbledon, where she clinched the junior title in 2018.

First up is Sofia Kenin, whom Swiatek defeated in the first round of the Australian Open this year.

The 49th-ranked US player has struggled this season but she has experience of the sharp end of Grand Slams, triumphing at the 2020 Australian Open before losing to Swiatek in the final of the French Open months later.

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 23rd birthday by brushing aside Marie Bouzkova to reach the French Open last 16 on Friday, while Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both powered into the second week. Alcaraz got the better of Sebastian Korda in straight sets to edge closer to a semi-final meeting with Sinner, who saw off Russian Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. “Sebastian Korda is a great player and a really good ball striker,” said Alcaraz. “It is difficult to play against him. I had to run a lot. It was like a marathon for me today.”

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev suffered a shock exit at the hands of unheralded Italian Matteo Arnaldi, losing his cool repeatedly as anger at his performance boiled over.

Swiatek had to save a match point to avoid an upset defeat by fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a second-round thriller, but she was never in trouble during a 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Bouzkova.

“I feel good physically, I had a day off yesterday,” said Swiatek. “I don’t feel like the match (against Osaka) stayed with me but we’ll see at the end of the tournament.”

The world number one is a red-hot favourite to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for a third straight year and become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros titles in the Open era.

She was much closer to her best form on Friday, hitting 34 winners and making only 19 unforced errors.

Swiatek will play Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the next round on Sunday.

The Polish star’s win-loss record at the tournament stands at 32-2 and she has never failed to reach the second week.

Coco Gauff held off a late fightback from Australian Open semi-finalist Dayana Yastremska to win 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The reigning US Open champion has an excellent record at Roland Garros, having previously reached two quarter-finals and the 2022 final which she lost to Swiatek.

The 20-year-old failed to serve out the match when leading 5-2 in the second set, but saved three break points in the 10th game before getting over the line, making the fourth round for a fourth straight year.

“When it was time to close out and the games were getting close and tight, I was trying to just remind myself I’m in the better position,” Gauff said.

“I’m the one up a set and double break, so I was just reminding myself of that.”

Gauff will play Elisabetta Cocciaretto for a last-eight berth, after the unseeded Italian beat Russian 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.

– Angry Rublev crashes out –

Rublev became the biggest casualty in the men’s draw so far, as he fell to a surprise straight-sets defeat by Italian Matteo Arnaldi.

Rublev, who lifted the Madrid Open title last month, repeatedly smashed his racquet in frustration as he made 37 unforced errors in an erratic display.

“Completely disappointed with myself the way I behaved, the way I performed,” admitted the Russian.

“The problem is the head, that today basically I killed myself, and that’s it.”

Arnaldi will face former runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in round four after the Greek downed China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

Sinner barely had to break sweat, saving the only break point he faced in a dominant display against Kotov.

The Australian Open champion, who will overtake Novak Djokovic as world number one if he reaches the final, will next take on home hope Corentin Moutet who came from behind to defeat Sebastian Ofner in four sets.

Sinner, who has only lost two matches so far this year, is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Wimbledon champion Alcaraz came through a potentially tough test against American 27th seed Korda 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the night session.

The world number three blasted 38 winners past his opponent to book a meeting with either Ben Shelton or Felix Auger-Aliassime, whose match was one of three men’s ties suspended overnight due to rain.

Alcaraz has now reached at least the fourth round in his last eight Grand Slam events.

Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova ended the run of Frenchwoman Chloe Pacquet, winning 6-1, 6-3.

She will next face Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic, who backed up her upset win over Danielle Collins with another comeback victory in a deciding-set tie-break against Donna Vekic.

Tunisian eighth seed Ons Jabeur beat Leylah Fernandez, teeing up a fourth-round match with Clara Tauson, after the Dane followed her surprise second-round success against 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko by knocking out former finalist Sofia Kenin.

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 23rd birthday by brushing aside Marie Bouzkova to reach the French Open last 16 on Friday. Swiatek had to save a match point to avoid an upset defeat by fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a second-round thriller, but she was never in trouble during a 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Bouzkova. The world number one is a red-hot favourite to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for a third straight year and become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros titles in the Open era.

She was much closer to her best form on Friday, hitting 34 winners and making only 19 unforced errors.

Swiatek will play Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the next round on Sunday.

The Polish star’s win-loss record at the tournament stands at 32-2 and she has never failed to reach the second week.

Earlier on Friday, Jannik Sinner continued his serene progress at the French Open with a straight-sets victory over Russian Pavel Kotov in the third round.

The Australian Open champion, who will usurp Novak Djokovic as world number one if he reaches the final at Roland Garros, struck 36 winners and saved the only break point he faced in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win.

Sinner will next take on either home hope Corentin Moutet or Austrian Sebastian Ofner for a place in the quarter-finals.

The Italian, who has only lost two matches so far this year, is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Coco Gauff also eased into the second week for a fourth straight year. Gauff held off a late fightback from Australian Open semi-finalist Dayana Yastremska to win 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The reigning US Open champion has an excellent record at Roland Garros, having previously reached two quarter-finals and the 2022 final which she lost to Swiatek.

The 20-year-old failed to serve out the match when leading 5-2 in the second set, but saved three break points in the 10th game before getting over the line.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek said she would needed to have been “pretty naive” to think she could beat Naomi Osaka after falling match point down before recovering to win a French Open thriller on Wednesday. The world number one fought back from the brink of defeat to outlast Osaka 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 7-5 and keep her bid for a third successive Roland Garros title on track. Swiatek trailed 5-2 in the deciding set against fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, saving a match point on her opponent’s serve and winning the final five games to avoid a shock early exit.

“I honestly didn’t believe I could win, because I would be pretty naive,” said Swiatek, who now holds a 30-2 record in five trips to Paris.

“But it didn’t change the fact that I just tried to do work to play better. I actually managed to be more focused at the end of the match, which went pretty badly.

“In first and second set I felt like I’m not completely in the zone. When I was under the biggest pressure I was able actually to switch that and maybe that made the difference.”

Swiatek is attempting to become only the fourth woman in the Open era to lift four Roland Garros titles and just the second — after Serena Williams — to complete the clay-court treble of Madrid, Rome and French Opens in the same season.

Osaka, appearing at only a second Grand Slam since giving birth to her daughter last July, was on the cusp of her biggest win since returning to tennis at the start of the year before it slipped from her grasp. 

“This match was really intense, much more intense for the second round than I ever expected,” said Swiatek, who goes on to play Jana Fett or Marie Bouzkova in the last 32.

“Naomi played amazing tennis and maybe she is going to be a clay-court specialist in a while!”

With Swiatek battling to stay in the match as Osaka threatened a huge upset, a shout from the crowd mid-point left her visibly frustrated.

“Sometimes under a lot of pressure, when you scream something during the rally, it is very distracting and hard to focus,” Swiatek said while addressing fans on Court Philippe Chatrier after the match. 

“This is serious for us and sometimes it is hard to accept. The stakes are big and we are playing for a lot of money. If you could support us before the rallies but not during. 

“I love you guys and I always love playing here so let’s continue that.”

Swiatek again touched on the incident in her post-match press conference as the topic of French Open spectators’ behaviour resurfaced in the wake of a claim by David Goffin that a fan spat chewing gum at him as he defeated French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Tuesday.

“It happened more times, especially before the returns, and that’s why I wanted to speak out about it, because if it would happen one time, I would just let it go,” Swiatek said of fans crying out during play.

“I know the French crowd is enthusiastic. Yeah, but for now in tennis we have these kind of rules that there should be, like, more silence in the audience, and I just wanted to point out that it’s not easy for us.”

The Pole was hopeful her gentle reprimand would not turn the Roland Garros faithful against her.

“But I know that French crowds can be kind of harsh, so I don’t want to be under the radar right now,” said a smiling Swiatek.

“So, yeah, I don’t know if that was a good decision or not.”

Defending champion Iga Swiatek saved a match point to outlast Naomi Osaka.© AFP

Naomi Osaka swept to her first victory at the French Open in three years on Sunday, setting up a potential showdown with Iga Swiatek, as Carlos Alcaraz maintained his record of never losing in the first round of a Grand Slam. However, Andy Murray’s French Open career was ruthlessly ended in straight sets by fellow three-time major winner and 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka. The 39-year-old Swiss hailed his beaten rival as a “great champion” as the former world number one bid adieu to the tournament ahead of his expected retirement later in the summer.

Osaka, a four-time major winner who has yet to get past the third round in Paris, needed three sets to defeat Italy’s 48th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti on the showpiece Court Philippe Chatrier, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

The 26-year-old fired 31 winners, including six aces, and 45 unforced errors in a match where she gave up a 4-0 lead in the decider before finding herself 5-4 down.

However, she rallied strongly to register her first win at a Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open.

“It feels really nice to be back and I’m just really grateful to be here in front of everybody,” said Osaka.

The Japanese star, a former world number one now at 134 in the rankings, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French capital.

In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the tournament in order to protect her mental health.

A year later, she fell in the first round before leaving the sport in September 2022 for 16 months to give birth to her daughter.

Top seed and defending champion Swiatek, chasing a fourth French Open, will face Osaka if the Pole gets past qualifier Leolia Jeanjean on Monday.

World number three and reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win over America’s J.J. Wolf, the 107th-ranked player who entered the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ from qualifying.

Alcaraz, 21, who made the semi-finals in 2023 where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic, took his first-round record at the majors to 13-0.

Alcaraz showed no sign of suffering from the right arm injury which sidelined him from the Rome Open as he coasted to victory on the back of 27 winners and nine breaks of serve.

‘Don’t need many matches’

“I don’t need too many matches to be at my best,” said Alcaraz.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic begins his bid for a fourth French Open title and 25th major on Tuesday.

“Low expectations and high hopes,” said the Serb on Sunday after arriving in Paris without a title in the season for the first time since 2018.

Murray, the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2016 and still the only British man to make the final since 1937, lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to Wawrinka.

Wawrinka becomes only the third man over the age of 39 to win a match at the French Open since 1980.

“My first words are for a great champion,” Wawrinka said of Murray after their 23rd career meeting.

Murray, 37, said he’s proud of his French Open career even if “when you compare it to what Rafa or Novak achieved, it obviously is minuscule”.

“But most players would sign up for the results I’ve had. I played a final, four semis — I lost to Novak in five, Stan in five, twice to Rafa. No shame in that.”

Whether or not 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will be back in 2025 is still open to question.

Nadal, will be 38 on June 3, revealed Saturday that he hasn’t committed himself to retiring and wanted to “100% keep the door open”.

He missed Roland Garros in 2023 with injury. His 2024 appearance may be brief as he faces fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev on Monday.

“It’s a big, big chance that this is going to be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros, sorry, but I will not,” Nadal said.

Ex-champ Krejcikova out

Elsewhere on Sunday, two-time quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev, the sixth seed, defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel in four sets.

Eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz needed five sets to see off Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki while Grigor Dimitrov, the 10th seed, defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets.

Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 champion, swept past Jaqueline Cristian while former Australian Open winner and 2020 Roland Garros runner-up Sofia Kenin came back from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund of Germany.

However, 2021 champion Barbora Krejcikova was knocked out 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 by Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.

Krejcikova has suffered three successive first round losses in Paris since her title breakthrough.

Iga Swiatek said she is “confident” ahead of her bid to become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros singles titles in the Open era. The world number one could also become the first player to lift three successive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007 when the French Open gets underway on Sunday. Swiatek is a strong favourite after dominating on clay again this season, arriving in Paris off the back of WTA 1000 victories in Madrid and Rome.

The only female player in history to complete a Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros treble in the same season is Serena Williams.

But Swiatek, who faces French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in the first round, is not daunted by what she could achieve.

“I would lie if I would say I’m not nervous, because everybody is, I think,” Swiatek told reporters on Friday.

“There is a lot of pressure, especially when you play well and you already know that you can achieve this step, people are expecting it to happen again and again and again.

“So there is pressure, but I wouldn’t say I’m more nervous than usual… I’m also pretty confident with how I’m playing right now and with the work we have been doing.”

The 22-year-old Pole has plenty of years ahead of her to chase records but is wasting little time — her four WTA 1000 titles this season have taken her career total to 10.

That is already only 13 short of Serena Williams’ all-time record.

With four Grand Slam titles, Swiatek has not struggled to translate that form to the major tournaments in the past.

Swiatek is aiming to join Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Henin in lifting the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen four times in the Open era.

The biggest obstacle standing in her way is Aryna Sabalenka.

The Belarusian missed three match points before losing to Swiatek in a thrilling Madrid final and will be hoping to get another crack at her rival after a one-sided loss in Rome.

Sabalenka, the two-time reigning Australian Open champion, has reached at least the semi-finals in each of the past six Grand Slam events.

She is also the only woman to beat Swiatek in a final on clay — in Madrid last year — since the Pole lost her first WTA title decider as a teenager in 2019 at a low-key event in Switzerland.

Swiatek said she did not think her or Sabalenka were side-tracked by their rivalry.

“We’ll see if it’s going to go into the history books, because honestly, I don’t think either I or Aryna are focusing on that,” she added.

“But for sure this rivalry is exciting for the fans… . I think it’s also pushing me to become a better and better player, so I think we both kind of need each other to grow.”

Swiatek ‘motivates’ Sabalenka

Sabalenka has an 8-3 losing record against Swiatek, but insisted after Rome that she wanted to face her again in Paris.

“She (Swiatek) definitely motivates me a lot to get better, and I think I improve so many things just because of her,” said the world number two, who opens her campaign against Russian teenager Erika Andreeva.

“She kind of like pointed on the things I wasn’t good at, and motivated me to get better at.

“I think it’s just amazing what we are doing, and I really hope we can keep doing the same or even better.”

Sabalenka had never even reached the second week at Roland Garros until last year, when she was knocked out by Karolina Muchova in the semis.

“I’m definitely not the favourite probably there,” she said after the Rome Open final.

“But at the same time I do feel that I can actually go for it.

“It’s 50/50, you know? But I prefer to be underdog. I really hope I’m going to make it to the final and I really hope I’ll be able to get that win, if it’s Iga or not.”

Elena Rybakina, the only player to defeat Swiatek on clay this year, was being touted as part of a new ‘big three’ 12 months ago.

But the Kazakh has failed to make the last four at a Slam since losing the 2023 Australian Open final to Sabalenka and has been passed in the rankings by US Open champion Coco Gauff.

American Gauff, playing in a major for the first time since turning 20, will be hoping to go one better than when she lost the 2022 French Open showpiece to Swiatek.

Third seed Gauff faces Russian qualifier Julia Avdeeva in the first round, while Rybakina takes on Belgium’s Greet Minnen.

World number one Iga Swiatek said she’ll be “rooting” for Rafael Nadal at the French Open but insisted it was fair the 14-time champion had not been seeded. Nadal, ranked a lowly 276 in the world after injury restricted him to just four tournaments since January last year, will face world number four Alexander Zverev in the first round of his farewell appearance. With an astonishing record of just three losses in 115 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 debut, there were suggestions that officials should have the discretion to seed former champions.

“No, I think it would create a huge mess in the draws,” said defending women’s champion Swiatek.

“For example, in the women’s draw you have so many past Grand Slam champions, one of them would be seeded, one of them not because they won Wimbledon and not Roland Garros or they won Australian Open, not Roland Garros.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s better to keep it that way, especially because you get seeded because of your past results. By ‘past’ I mean few months before.”

Nadal is not the only unseeded Grand Slam champion at the French Open this year.

Stan Wawrinka, whose 2015 Paris title is one of his three majors, faces fellow three-time Grand Slam champion — and also unseeded — Andy Murray in the first round.

In the women’s tournament, former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens are also unseeded.

There have, however, been precedents — in 2018, Serena Williams was seeded at 25 for Wimbledon, where she was a seven-time champion, despite a world ranking of 183.

“For sure it’s a tough draw for Rafa, but I’m going to be kind of rooting for him,” added Swiatek. “Sorry, Alex. We’ll see.”