Roland Garros qualifying: which big names are out and who is still alive after Andreescu, Dimitrov and Pliskova shocks?

The Roland Garros qualifying draw once again brought together a mix of rising players and established Tour names fighting for a place in the main draw. As is often the case in Grand Slam qualifying, several high-profile players entered the event outside direct acceptance due to injuries, ranking drops, or a loss of consistency over recent seasons.

Qualifying events at Grand Slams regularly feature players who have previously been mainstays of the Tour, and this year in Paris has been no exception, with several recognizable names appearing across both the men’s and women’s draws.

In the women’s draw, attention was drawn to the return of players attempting to rebuild momentum at the highest level, while others sought to convert experience into one final push for a main draw place. The field included former champions, semifinalists, and players once ranked inside the top 10, all navigating the same three-round pathway.

The men’s qualifying draw followed a similar pattern, with established figures and former top-ranked players forced into early-round battles against lower-ranked opponents in form. For several of them, Roland Garros represented a crucial test of whether they could still sustain competitiveness at Grand Slam level.

One of the most anticipated returns was from Bianca Andreescu, who was attempting to reach a Grand Slam main draw again after missing five consecutive majors. Her run ended in the second round of qualifying, where she lost in three sets to Viktoria Hruncakova, halting her comeback bid in Paris.

In contrast, Sloane Stephens delivered a strong qualifying campaign. She secured straight-set wins in her opening matches before recovering from a set down in the final round to confirm her place in the main draw, arriving in Paris with momentum after three consecutive victories.

Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova also exited the qualifying competition, falling in straight sets to Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera. Meanwhile, former semifinalists Tamara Zidansek and Martina Trevisan were both eliminated in the second round.

Among those still in contention for a place in the main draw were Linda Fruhvirtova, Lulu Sun, Rebecca Sramkova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, all of whom remained active in the final stages of qualifying.

The biggest storyline in the men’s draw came from Grigor Dimitrov, who suffered a shock qualifying defeat. The former ATP Finals champion, once a fixture in the latter stages of Grand Slams, lost a tight third-round battle to Jaime Faria in a deciding-set tiebreak, ending his run in Paris.

Former world No. 7 David Goffin was also eliminated early after entering the draw via wildcard, unable to progress beyond the second qualifying round. Elsewhere, Lloyd Harris fell to Andrea Pellegrino, while former top-20 player Bernard Tomic managed one win before being eliminated in the second round of qualifying.