Raducanu braced for tough test against Swiatek, Alcaraz faces Marozsan

The second round of the French Open begins on Wednesday with holder Iga Swiatek seeking to maintain her 100 per cent record against Emma Raducanu in a meeting of former US Open champions, while Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka are also in action.

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TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: RADUCANU V SWIATEK

Swiatek, a four-time winner at Roland Garros, has not been as imperious on clay this season as in recent years, falling to fifth in the women's singles rankings.

The Pole does, however, have an impressive record against 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, having won all four meetings without dropping a single set.

Raducanu said she is well aware of the ability of top players like Swiatek to produce their best in tough times.

"I think for the slams it's also completely different for those top players. They really kind of turn it on in the weeks that really matter," Britain's Raducanu told reporters.

"She's a great opponent. I'm not expecting any wavering of level. Given the last times we have played, she's been on every single time. It's going to be a really, really difficult match."

TOP MEN'S MATCH: MAROZSAN V ALCARAZ

Carlos Alcaraz continues his title defence in a second-round meeting with 56th-ranked Fabian Marozsan, at whose hands he suffered a shock 6-3 7-6(4) defeat in the third round of the Italian Open in 2023.

Hungarian Marozsan has notched up a few memorable wins over top 10 players and one of the most effective weapons in his arsenal is the drop shot.

"I study my opponents a little bit. I know that Fabian likes to hit drop shots. So probably I put extra focus on that. I'm going to be ready for that," Alcaraz told reporters.

"It's going be a drop shot battle, I guess. But let's see. It's going to be an interesting match, so I'll be ready for that from him."

SABALENKA IN RED-HOT FORM

Aryna Sabalenka dropped only three games as she eased to victory in her only previous match against Jil Teichmann in Doha in 2022, and the three-time Grand Slam champion will be the favourite when she meets the unseeded Swiss in the second round.

World No 1 Sabalenka blew away Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0 in the first round as she bids to win her first title at Roland Garros.

FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON WEDNESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)

COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (play begins at 1000 GMT)

4-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia)

Fabian Marozsan (Hungary) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)

Emma Raducanu (Britain) v 5-Iga Swiatek (Poland)

Emilio Nava (US) v 10-Holger Rune (Denmark)

COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN (play begins at 0900 GMT)

Emiliana Arango (Colombia) v 8-Zheng Qinwen

7-Casper Ruud (Norway) v Nuno Borges (Portugal)

31-Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (France) v Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Jil Teichmann (Switzerland)

COURT SIMONNE-MATHIEU (play begins at 0900 GMT)

8-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v Daniel Elahi Galan (Colombia)

Anna Bondar (Hungary) v 13-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

Matteo Gigante (Italy) v 20-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)

12-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v Iva Jovic (US)