French Open Updates | Play Starts without COVID Restrictions

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French Open Updates | Play Starts without COVID Restrictions

May 22, 2022

FILE - Rows of empty seats are seen at centre court at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, as Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal warm up for the final match of the French Open tennis tournament. All COVID-19 related restrictions have been lifted and crowds are expected to fill the stadium. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, FILE)

PARIS — The Latest on the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament (all times local):

11:10 a.m.

Play in the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament has started on the red clay of Roland Garros in Paris, with none of the COVID-19 restrictions that limited attendance the past two years.

The French Open is the sport’s only major championship that begins on a Sunday.

The schedule includes past Grand Slam title winners such as Sloane Stephens, Garbiñe Muguruza and Dominic Thiem.

The most anticipated match of Day 1 involves Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old Spaniard who is seeded No. 6 and the youngest player to break into the top 10 of the men’s rankings since Rafael Nadal in 2005.

Alcaraz’s contest against Juan Ignacio Londero is scheduled to be held last in Court Philippe Chatrier, the site’s main stadium.

Novak Djokovic, last year’s men’s champion, and 13-time champion Nadal are slated to play their first-round matches on Monday. So is the No. 1-ranked woman, Iga Swiatek, who is on a 28-match winning streak.

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