Dart advances, but Evans eliminated in French Open qualifying

In the first round of the French Open qualifying on May 24, 2026, Harriet Dart overcame China's Yue Yuan, advancing to the second round, while Dan Evans was eliminated in his opening match. Evans, who at 35 was the oldest player in the men’s singles qualifying, faced off against the youngest player in the draw, 17-year-old French wildcard Daniel Jade. Despite taking a break lead in the first set, Evans suffered a 6-4 6-4 defeat as Jade came back to win three consecutive games, clinching the first set and breaking serve at 4-4 in the second.

Currently ranked 211th, Evans has not participated in the main draw of a major tournament since receiving a wildcard to Wimbledon the previous year, where he lost in the second round. On the other hand, Dart required over three hours to defeat the 10th seed Yuan, rallying back to win 5-7 6-4 6-2. The match showcased Dart's resilience as she battled back from two breaks down in the second set before decisively winning the final set.

Dart's victory set her up for a second-round match against Spain's Leyre Romero Gormaz. In addition to Dart's success, other British players Toby Samuel and Jay Clarke also performed well. Samuel won in a close first set, coming through a 24-point tie-break against American seventh seed Martin Damm and ultimately winning 7-6 (13-11) 6-2. He is slated to face Belgian veteran David Goffin, who has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

Jay Clarke also advanced, defeating Australian 23rd seed Dane Sweeney 6-2 6-2, and will meet French player Thomas Faurel in the next round. Players must secure three victories to qualify for the French Open main draw, which is set to begin on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Among British players, Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, and Jacob Fearnley have direct entries into the main draw, while Jack Draper and Sonay Kartal are sidelined due to injuries.