Dimitrov to Goffin: Five to watch in men’s qualifying

Grigor Dimitrov

Two years since a career-best Roland-Garros run to the quarterfinals, the mercurial Dimitrov finds himself at a crossroads in 2026 as he works his way back from a lingering pectoral tear suffered last July.

That tough blow came while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner two sets to love in the fourth round at Wimbledon and drew a line through the remainder of his season.

The 35-year-old, whom tournament organisers surprised with a birthday cake on the eve of his maiden Parisian qualifying bid, has gone back to the drawing board having fallen outside the top 100 for the first time since 2012.

All too aware of the task before him this week at his most challenging major, a return to the main draw at Porte d’Auteuil for the 16th straight year would do wonders for restoring his confidence. He opens against Portuguese 10th seed Jaime Faria.

Henrique Rocha

A year ago, a Portuguese pretender with big ambitions made his Grand Slam qualifying debut with a win out on Court 13.

While that victory over lowly ranked Frenchman Robin Bertrand barely turned heads, two further wins served ample notice the now 22-year-old Rocha was one to watch after he sealed a spot in the main draw.

There he contested and won his first two five-set clashes, including over 19th-seeded Czech Jakub Mensik.

That unlikely push to the third round, where he fell to Alexander Bublik, was an understandable season highlight.

Following a title in Brazil in March this year, a final in Chile a week later and a semifinal on home soil in Oeiras last month – all on clay at ATP Challenger level – the world No.120 stands poised to press his case for a return to a Grand Slam starting list with Hungary’s Zsombor Piros his first assignment.

David Goffin

A slightly built lucky loser from north of the border made it a debut to remember in 2012 when he surged into the fourth round and stole the opening set from his idol, Roger Federer, on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

The gifted Belgian still had a poster of the Swiss great on his wall at the time and drew glowing praise from Federer. “He’s very talented. I hope he can make it to the top 20,” Federer said.

The young challenger did that and then some, having climbed as high as world No.7 in 2017. This week, the 35-year-old begins his 14th and final Roland-Garros campaign in qualifying against Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-Hsin.

Alex Molcan

Following two years in relative tennis obscurity, outside the top 100 and slogging it out at ATP Challenger level due to injuries and form indifferences, Slovakia’s Molcan has found his groove again on clay.

The former world No.38 landed his first win over a top-20 opponent in three years against top seed Gabriel Diallo to reach the Bucharest quarterfinals last month. It set off a string of upsets including against Bublik and Denis Shapovalov en route to the Munich semifinals a week later, before Ben Shelton had his number.

The 28-year-old, who has twice reached the second round in Paris, brings a 13-4 record on clay at all levels into his opening clash against Great Britain’s Oliver Crawford.

Nicolai Budkov Kjaer

Norway’s second-best player, Budkov Kjaer, draws inspiration in spades from his countryman, two-time former Roland-Garros finalist Casper Ruud, whom he paid tribute to en route to the Australian Open main draw in January.

Having arrived in the French capital at his highest mark of world No.124, the 19-year-old would do well to pick the brains of his decorated compatriot, who made a return to form with a run to the Rome final on Sunday.

The 2024 junior Wimbledon champion and junior Roland Garros doubles champion enjoyed his strongest results leading in on the clay in Madrid where he qualified and reached the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time after a win over Shapovalov. Seeded 14th, he takes on Belgian Gilles Arnaud Bailly first up.