Alcaraz's confidence soaring before French Open title defense while Swiatek struggling

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz will open his defense of the French Open title against veteran Kei Nishikori and said he's ''excited'' to be back in Paris on the back of an excellent clay-court season.

Alcaraz has been the dominant player in the weeks leading to Roland-Garros and is the clear-cut favorite after claiming trophies in Barcelona and Rome. Nishikori is a former top-five player who has been struggling on the dirt in recent years.

Alcaraz holds a 15-1 record on clay this season. Having moved back to No. 2 in the rankings, he can't play top-ranked Jannik Sinner before the final in Paris because they are on opposite sides of the draw.

''It's been a great clay season so far,'' Alcaraz said after Thursday's draw in Paris. ''I'm excited. The confidence is really high right now.''

Alcaraz or Sinner have won the last five Grand Slam titles.

Back from his three-month doping suspension, Sinner pushed Alcaraz when they met in the Rome final this month, yet lost in straight sets. Sinner opens against local hope Arthur Rinderknech and could meet three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

Alcaraz beat Sinner over five sets in the French Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz then successfully defended his Wimbledon title for his fourth Grand Slam trophy.

Sinner has won only one of his 19 career titles on clay, in Umag, Croatia, in 2022 — when he beat Alcaraz in the final.

Djokovic, who finally won a match on clay this year at the Geneva Open on Wednesday, will face Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion won the Paris Olympics gold medal last August at Roland-Garros but has struggled on clay since then.

Sinner could run into No. 5 seed Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, with other possible matchups featuring Alexander Zverev (3) vs. Djokovic (6), Taylor Fritz (4) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (8), and Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud (7).

In the women's draw, four-time champion Iga Swiatek is still searching for her best form.

She has dropped outside the top four and has not won a title or reached a final since her victory at Roland-Garros last year. Swiatek dealt with a doping suspension last year after failing an out-of-competition drug test in August for a banned heart medication. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation that she was taking the medication for issues with jet lag and sleeping.

Seeded No. 5 in Paris, Swiatek will open her campaign against Rebecca Sramkova, ranked No. 41. She could meet former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.

''I'm proud of my achievements here,'' Swiatek said. ''I'm working hard to be ready. For sure this season had more ups and downs than the years before. But I know my game is here.''

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka faces Kamilla Rakhimova while No. 2 Coco Gauff will take on Olivia Gadecki. An interesting matchup will pit No. 10 Paula Badosa against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

The possible women's quarterfinals are Sabalenka against No. 8 Qinwen Zheng, last-year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini against Swiatek, Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Mirra Andreeva (6), and Gauff against Madison Keys (7)

The French Open starts on Sunday and concludes on June 8.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis