Clay court reset: Amanda Anisimova top seed in Paris Challenger ahead of Roland Garros

Amanda Anisimova will make an appearance at the WTA 125 in Paris after her early elimination from the Rome Open. The American accepted a wild card from the organization and will be the top seed in a draw that includes players like Katie Boulter, Lulu Sun, and Katerina Siniakova.

The tournament, which traditionally takes place during the second week of the Rome Open, capitalized on the early exit of several stars from the Italian WTA 1000 clay-court event, and Anisimova will be the main favorite for the title with a world No. 17 ranking.

The American – champion of the WTA 1000 Doha Open in February of this year – fell in the first round of the Rome Open against Veronika Kudermetova, suffering another opening-round loss, just like in Madrid. Previously, Anisimova reached the semifinals at the Charleston Open in early April, but an injury forced her to withdraw from the draw.

The opening defeats in Madrid and Rome surely left Anisimova unsatisfied, and she will have a new chance to seek a victory after the injury and arrive at Roland Garros with better match rhythm.

Anisimova won her first title on clay courts at the WTA 250 Copa Colsanitas, in addition to having her best performance at a Grand Slam at the French Open back in 2019, reaching the semifinals (losing to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty).

Joining the tournament will be others looking to gain rhythm and secure some points ahead of the next Grand Slam, including Katie Boulter (No. 40), Lulu Sun (No. 45), Sonay Kartal (No. 53), Moyuka Uchijima (No. 59), and Katerina Siniakova (No. 67).

The defending champion of the tournament is Diana Shnaider, who defeated Emma Navarro in the 2024 final.