French Open 2023 qualifying: Schedule, draw, TV coverage plus how many British players are at Roland Garros
A total of 10 British players will try to claim their place in the main draw of the French Open by winning three matches in the qualifying tournament.
Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper are already automatically included in Thursday’s draw, but with Emma Raducanu out injured for the rest of the summer, Great Britain will have no representation in the women’s singles unless one of the seven hopefuls can make it through qualis.
Draw date and schedule
The draw for both the men’s and the women’s qualifying competition was made on Sunday 21 May (click here for the men’s and women’s draw) before the first round from 9am UK time on Monday 22 May and run all week.
The main draw is set for 1pm UK time on Thursday 25 May. Since play in the qualifying competition will not finish until Friday afternoon, the draw will simply feature anonymous “qualifier” slots on Thursday before those who have made it through are officially placed over the weekend.
How to watch
If you happen to be in Paris, there are still ground passes available for the first two days of qualifying from €20 for adults and €10 for under-25s.
Failing that, there will be live multi-court coverage of qualifying on Discovery+, available on mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop, for £6.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
Qualifying prize money
Winning three rounds in qualifying gets you into the main singles draw, where you are guaranteed at least first-round prize money of £60,000.
With an average uplift of 11.8 per cent on last year’s prize money, losers in qualifying at each stage receive:
- Round one: £14,000
- Round two: £19,000
- Round three: £29,500
Battling Brits
Here are the eight British women and three men hoping to fly the flag in Paris during qualifying week.
Liam Broady
A former junior grand slam finalist who has not (yet) cracked the top 100, Broady is a bit of a veteran in qualifying. This will be his sixth time trying to make it into the main draw, having succeeded once back in 2020, after which he lost to Jiri Vesely in the first round.
Ryan Peniston
The left-hander made his breakthrough last summer by beating French Open finalist Casper Ruud at Queen’s and then winning a round at Wimbledon. He says he doesn’t mind the clay after spending five years at an academy in the south of France, although it is probably not his best surface. He made his Roland Garros qualifying debut last year and was beaten by Andrey Kuznetsov.
Jan Choinski
Having spent many of his formative years in Germany, and representing the country of his birth until 2018, Choinski is no stranger to the red dirt. Of his 12 Futures titles, nine have come on clay and his only Challenger – in October last year – did too. This is only his third ever grand slam qualifying tournament.
Jodie Burrage – OUT
The British No 1 elect with Emma Raducanu laid up and just three places ahead of her in the world rankings. Burrage won an indoor title in France last month and is 2-2 on clay so far since then. She would have been seeded in qualifying and could become British No 1 even in absence, but she will not play in Paris due to a minor injury.
Katie Boulter
This is only the second time Boulter has ever entered the French Open, a testament to her lack of experience on clay, on which she has only played 14 professional matches. She has been out in Japan finding form, reaching the final of an $80k in Gifu.
Harriet Dart
Another who has been searching for the confidence of stringing wins together, Dart did pick up a title in Nottingham two weeks ago, but then lost in three sets to world No 164 Priscilla Hon in Rome. She lost 6-0 6-2 on main draw debut here in 2022 but has had some success in qualifying in previous years and may relish the chance to play her way in.
Katie Swan
Consecutive defeats to players outside the top 400 do not suggest Swan will arrive in Paris full of confidence. She did win two rounds in quails here back in 2019, but that is as close as she has ever been to a non-grass main draw.
Heather Watson
Watson is by far the senior pro on tour and has played main draw at Roland Garros, and even won a round. She has not won a match in Paris though since 2019, and that was the first round of qualifying.
Lily Miyazaki
Despite being 27 years old, Miyazaki’s journey through the college circuit means she is still a bit of a rookie on tour. This is only her second time at Roland Garros but she has been gradually improving at grand slams, winning two rounds of qualifying in Australia. She has had a disastrous clay-court swing so far though, losing all five matches without winning a single set. She has not recorded a win since February.
Sonay Kartal
Even though she is the youngest of the British contingent at 21 years old, Kartal’s battles with injury mean she is something of an old soul, and her lack of grand slam experience (three matches total, all defeats) should not mean much when it comes to qualifying.
Fran Jones
Speaking of maturity beyond their years, 22-year-old Fran Jones has never been short of it. She was born with a rare genetic condition that means she only has seven toes and a thumb and three fingers on each hand, Jones battled her way as high as 149 in the world last year, only for injury to wipe out her entire season in 2022. She has had a busy 2023 though, playing 24 matches and reaching a final on clay in Ecuador.
