Roland Garros 2026: Contenders, hopefuls, and dreamers among Argentine stars

Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam in the tennis season and the only one played on clay, is set to start on May 24. Twelve Argentine players have secured their spot in the main draw. A fan favorite across Argentina’s tennis scene and the only Grand Slam to ever feature two Argentines in a men’s singles final, here’s a look at who’s who among the Albiceleste crowd at Roland Garros 2026. Strong contenders in the men’s draws On the men’s singles side, the Argentine efforts will undoubtedly be led by Tomás Etcheverry and Francisco Cerúndulo, ranked 25th and 27th, respectively, by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). It’ll be the first time Etcheverry arrives at a Grand Slam as Argentina’s top-ranked player. He will debut against Portugal’s Nuno Borges, an opportunity to avenge two losses against him earlier this year in Auckland and Barcelona — their only two meetings to date. Last year, the La Plata star suffered a first-round loss to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (75th), so he stands to gain plenty of points if he’s able to move ahead in the tournament.  Despite a poor outing at the Rome Masters and a tough defeat in Hamburg, Etcheverry matched his best-ever week at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament last April at the Madrid Open, reaching the fourth round.  He’s also on a historic personal season, considering he lifted his first-ever title at the Rio Open in February. It’s a similar story for “Fran” Cerúndolo, who was ousted by Canada’s Gabriel Diallo (46) in the first round in 2025. He will kick off the tournament facing Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he leads 3-0 in their head-to-head record. Like Etcheverry, he reached the fourth round at Madrid but struggled to replicate it in Rome and Hamburg. Sebastián Báez (65), Camilo Ugo Carabelli (61), and Francisco Comesaña (114) are all in the exact same boat, having all been ousted in the first round in 2025 and with a lot to gain.  The first will face fellow Argentine Román Burruchaga (56), guaranteeing at least one Argentine player a spot in the second round. Ugo Carabelli will make his Roland Garros main-draw debut against a player coming through the qualifying rounds. Comesaña will face Unites States player Ethan Quinn, whom he beat in qualifying at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. Plenty at stake Mariano Navone (44), on the other hand, will have to bring his A-game to Paris. The player hailing from 9 de Julio, Buenos Aires province, defends 100 points following his run to the third round last year. He will play the U.S.’s Jenson Brooksby.  Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (72) also has an 80-point cushion to protect. He earned 30 points for making it through the qualifiers last year and added another 50 after winning his first-round main-draw match against U.S. player Alex Michelsen (42). He faces British player Jacob Fearnley. Thiago Tirante (69) and Marco Trungelliti (78) are also making a return to the main draw at Paris and will have the opportunity to add plenty to their tally. Watch out for Tirante, who recently took out two top-20 players on his way to the Rome Masters fourth round. Facundo Díaz Acosta (181) earned a spot in the qualifiers on Thursday and will also be part of the main draw.  Sierra leads the women On the women’s side of the singles’ draw, Solana Sierra, 72nd in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking, was confirmed for the main draw. She will have to bring her best game from the start, as she drew against British Emma Raducanu, ranked 37 and a former Grand Slam champion.  The Mar del Plata player is coming off two strong showings at the Madrid Open — where she secured her best-ever WTA1000 tournament with a fourth-round spot — and also in Rome, where she reached the third round. It’ll be only the second time she features in the Roland Garros main draw, where she exited in the first round in 2025. Double the fun In the doubles draw, the big hopes for Argentina come from the racket of Horacio Zeballos, currently No. 2 in the ATP doubles ranking. The 41-year-old from Mar del Plata won the title in 2025, his second Grand Slam crown, alongside his usual partner, Marcel Granollers, from Spain. Another Argentine who could make waves is Guido Andreozzi (16). Alongside France’s Manuel Guinard, they reached the Madrid Open final, only falling to the duo of Henry Patten (T3) and Harri Heliovaara (T3) 6-3, 3-6, and 10-7 in the supertiebreak. The Argentine duo of Máximo González (42) and Andrés Molteni (31) will also play in the tournament. Cover photo: Outside Philippe Chatrier Stadium in Paris (Credit: Wikimedia)