Roland Garros doubles surprises: Eala-Mboko pairing, Errani finds new partner after Paolini, Vacherot-Rinderknech cousins reunite

The Roland-Garros doubles main draw has been confirmed in both the men’s and women’s categories, and there were several surprises among the announced pairings. Venus Williams will team up with Hailey Baptiste, something that had been announced weeks ago, although they were not the only notable names to join the women’s draw.

Among the women, there were several singles players forming interesting partnerships. Among them, the duo of Alexandra Eala and Victoria Mboko is undoubtedly one of the most exciting, despite both having rather sporadic appearances in doubles draws. They will face Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider, another pair of singles standouts, although both with far more experience and strong doubles results.

Other pairings that drew attention include Eva Lys with Peyton Stearns, Daria Kasatkina alongside Camila Osorio, Katie Boulter with Yulia Putintseva, and Sofia Kenin with Ashlyn Krueger.

Another surprise was Sara Errani – 2025 doubles champion alongside Jasmine Paolini – with a new partner: Austrian Lilli Tagger, after Paolini opted to focus on singles on this occasion. The championship duo will not defend their title, and Errani – currently world No. 7 in doubles – will not be among the seeded teams in the tournament, creating movement in a draw that has clear favourites in world No. 1 pair Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

While the women’s draw featured numerous singles players and surprise unions, the men’s side also included several unexpected pairings.

One of them is the return of Thanasi Kokkinakis – former Australian Open doubles champion with Nick Kyrgios – who returns to doubles competition while continuing his comeback on the Tour after undergoing surgery in 2025. This time, he will partner with Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Another notable pairing is Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot – the protagonists of the 2025 Shanghai Masters final. It is not usual to see finalists of a Masters 1000 later partnering in doubles, although being cousins and part of the local favourites makes the decision less surprising, as they already played together earlier this year at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The French contingent also secured several wildcards, highlighted by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard teaming up with teenager Moise Kouamé – a duo expected to attract significant attention and crowd interest. Adrian Mannarino will also feature in doubles, alongside fellow Frenchman Fabrice Martin.

Other singles players entering the draw include Nuno Borges with Zhizhen Zhang, Alexander Bublik with Russian Alexander Shevchenko, the Argentine pair Tomás Etcheverry and Camilo Ugo Carabelli, and the Spanish duo Pablo Carreño Busta with Jaume Munar.