When the list of 2018 French Open participants was released in April, there were no Canadian women represented in the draw. Francoise Abanda, the top-ranked Canadian in the WTA, wasn't an automatic draw and neither was former Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard. If Abanda and Bouchard hoped to play at Roland-Garros, they needed to first go through the qualifying stage.
On Monday, the road for four Canadians became clearer. Abanda, Bouchard as well as Carol Zhao and Bianca Andreescu were announced as participants in the French Open qualifying draw. Of the 32 potential qualifiers, only 12 women are able to earn a spot in the year's second Grand Slam — eight wildcards are also given entry into the tournament.
.@rolandgarros women’s singles qualifying draw is out! Check out where @franckie_abanda, @geniebouchard, @CarolZhao95 and @Bandreescu_ landed.
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) May 21, 2018
Can our talented 🇨🇦 women go 4 for 4 to make the main draw? 🤞🏻 pic.twitter.com/FJOAAmHIAc
No. 16 Abanda, the only ranked Canadian in the draw, faces Italy's Martina Trevisan on Tuesday. The rest of the Canadian contingent faces an uphill battle following Abanda's session. Zhao is matched with 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, while Bouchard plays Slovakia's Dalila Jakupovic to round out Tuesday's action.
Andreescu is faced with the ultimate challenge on Wednesday. At 17-years-old, Andreescu is Canada's youngest hopeful and is slated to play No. 1 ranked Vera Lapko. As of Monday morning, Lapko became the 77th ranked player in the circuit — her highest ranking. The 19-year-old Belarusian seeks to enter her first women's grand slam event after years of dominance at the girls level.