The 2026 edition of Roland Garros will go down as one of the most unpredictable in recent years. The early exits of the favorites reshuffled the deck and paved the way for two first-time champions in Paris : Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva. A look back at one of the most unpredictable tournaments in recent years.
This weekend, after two weeks of competition, Alexander Zverev finally claimed his first Grand Slam title, while Mirra Andreeva emerged as the new queen of clay at just 19 years old.
A tournament marked by the fall of the favorites
From the very first sweltering days of the 2026 edition of Roland Garros, the men’s draw was shaken up by the early exits of several top seeds. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner exited the tournament in the second round, while Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round. At the same time, the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew before the tournament, opened up the race for the title even further.
This situation created an unprecedented scenario : for the first time in several years, none of the usual top favorites made it to the final four. The men’s tournament thus saw the emergence of a new generation of contenders, including João Fonseca, already a sensation last year and a winner over Djokovic, Rafael Jodar, the touted successor to Rafael Nadal, and the unfortunate finalist Flavio Cobolli.
On the French side, there was plenty of excitement as well with the run of Moïse Kouamé, 17, who established himself as one of the sensations of the first week by reaching the third round in his first appearance in the main draw. In the women’s draw, following Loïs Boisson’s surprise run in 2025, it was Diane Parry this year who carried French tennis hopes into the second week thanks to her run to the round of 16, notably after eliminating sixth seed Amanda Anisimova.
The tournament was also marked by the run of Matteo Arnaldi. The Italian had reached the semifinals after a five-and-a-half-hour marathon in the round of 16, before being forced to withdraw due to illness just before his match against Cobolli.
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