We have the old, reliable helpers on the menu: Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal. We have the hot breakout special Carlos Alcaraz this year. And we serve Coco Gauff. Or Coq au Gauff, so to speak. Unfortunately, krejcikova – popular last year – and jabeur, a Tunisian speciality, are all sold out. (We blame the supply chain.) We also regret to report the removal of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from the menu. In the middle of the French Open 2022 seven-course meal, we pause to shuffle metaphors and distribute intermediate notes.

Can Carlos Alcaraz build on his breakout win at the Madrid Open with his first major title?
Susan Mullane/USA Today Sports
Table of Contents
A:
The favourites: Despite all the various and varied disturbances, they are of a secondary nature. Hurricane Iga is still raging. The “upper half trio” of Nadal, Djokovic and Alcaraz are also continuing.
American: As we write this, no men remain. (Congratulations if you had Mackie McDonald in your ghoul pool.) But there are five women: Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, the resurgent Sloane Stephens, Jessica Pegula, and last but not least, Amanda Anisimova, who almost won this event three years ago through some personal friction and is now playing as well as ever.
Jil Teichman: The talented Swiss left-hander is unbeaten here, overtaking Victoria Azarenka in one of the better matches of the tournament. Daniil Medvedev: What is Russian for “sandbag”? His assurances to the contrary, the second-seeded Russian can play on clay. Scandinavia: Ruud and Rune (and Ruusavuori) ….no, not a law firm to secure your fishing and maritime rights in the Baltic Sea. They are three young rising ATP players. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: The Frenchman plays his last match. An Outstanding Career – Top 5 Placement; 18 titles – and never less than a gentleman.
Kaper Ruud: Him again. Yes, for reaching Week 2. But also for the abundance of grace he displayed as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Ruud, 23, got the mic after the win and said: “I don’t want to talk about myself. This day is about Jo.”
B plus:
Simona Halep: The former champion lost in round two. But how many people has she helped by normalizing what happened to her on the pitch? “It was just a panic attack. It happened…I lost it. I could not concentrate me. After the match it was pretty tough. But now I’m fine. I have recovered and will learn from this episode. Nothing like dangerous, in my opinion, but it happened. So good that it is now. I can smile.”
Canada: Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu go out early; Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez stay longer.
Linda Noskova: Emma Raducanu could not be closed but what a arrival for the 17-year-old who qualified and will be a player to watch for years to come.
AnnLi: The young American led a set on lap one before retiring. A disappointing exit but even more signs that she has real game.
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Taylor Townsend: Back from maternity leave, looking great in both singles and doubles.
B:
Maria Bouzkova: Czech tests positive for COVID-19 and has been forced to withdraw. She is happier now officially a Hoosier.
Lorenzo Musetti: For the second year in a row, the Italian shooter – bonus points for the one-handed game – took a 2-0 lead against a star. (Last year Djokovic; this year Tsitsipas.) For the second year in a row he failed to close.
B minus:
Women’s top 10: Swiatek played her role (almost) perfectly. But by Thursday only two others (Badosa and Sabalenka) were still in contention.
Andrei Rublev: Still alive in the draw. But, man, is he lucky it didn’t boot after that:
Irina Camilia Begu: Still alive in the draw. But, man, is she lucky that she didn’t get booted afterwards?
C:
Lack of media access: The mission crawl went too far and took too long. Limiting written press, in particular, was spun as a “player-friendly” touch – like a sushi bar and backup cars – that will benefit rivals. It doesn’t. It’s no use to the fans. It’s no good for the sport. It does everyone a disservice.
Ons Jabeur: She dealt with defeat with great class and perspective. But the second favorite after Swiatek was eliminated in the first Sunday session around noon. Along with a deeply disappointing loss, that’s a lot of downtime between games.
Dominic Thiem: One of the nicest guys ever. But it’s been more than a year since his last win. Not tournament victory. win game. Coming back from the wrist injury has been a grind and has taken a price on his confidence.
Garbine Muguruza: Doesn’t matter that she’s a former champion. She closed out 2021 with a title at the WTA Championships, mowing down all comers. This year? A sub-.500 season including a listless first-round loss here.
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