Tatjana Maria and Elise Mertens will meet for the second time on clay when they open their French Open campaigns in singles at Roland-Garros. The matchup was previewed on 24 May 2026 and last updated later that day, setting up a first-round meeting that carries clear form questions for both players.
Maria arrives after a straight-sets exit at the Morocco Open, where she lost 2-6, 4-6 to Yasmin Kabbaj. Mertens, meanwhile, was beaten by Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 3-6 in the last 16 of the Italian Open, a result that ended a run in which she had reached the last 16 in two of her previous three singles tournaments on clay.
The numbers give Mertens a stronger base on paper. She has not lost an opening-round match on tour in 2026, has won 74.4% of her service games overall and 70.7% of her first serves, and has converted 50% of her break points this season. Maria’s serve has been less secure, even with 80 aces, as she has won 64.7% of her service games and 65% of her first serves in 2026 while also committing 46 double faults.
Maria’s recent Grand Slam record is the bigger concern. She has gone out in the opening round of her last four major singles tournaments, and Roland-Garros has been especially unforgiving: she has lost her first match there in each of her previous six appearances. She did reach the semi-finals of the Rouen Open on clay, her best result of 2026, but that has been the exception rather than the rule.
Mertens has her own reason to be sharp. She suffered a surprise opening-round exit at Roland-Garros in 2025, the only time in her last nine appearances at the tournament that she went out that early. Even so, she has reached the fourth round twice this decade and advanced beyond her opening match in 12 of her last 13 Grand Slam appearances, including four fourth-round runs in that span.
The head-to-head also leans toward Mertens. She beat Maria 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 in the first round of the Porsche Open in 2024 and followed that with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 win in the second round of the Singapore Open in 2025. When they first met in Maria’s home country, Mertens won 85% of her first-serve points, a sign that her returning game can make the difference even when the match tightens.
That leaves Maria needing a clean start and a steadier service day than she has shown for much of 2026. For Mertens, the task is simpler: avoid the lapse that cost her at Roland-Garros last year and use her clay-court consistency to keep the pressure on early.
