American Learner Tien is among the headliners on Tuesday at the French Open, arriving as the 18th seed following his Geneva title last week. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime faces a tricky opener against Daniel Altmaier.
(18) Learner Tien vs. Cristian Garin
Learner Tien arrives at Roland Garros in the best form of his young career. The 20-year-old claimed the Geneva Open title just days ago, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Bublik, and Mariano Navone (3-6, 6-3, 7-5) along the way — and in doing so became the youngest American to win a tour-level clay title since his coach, Michael Chang, won the French Open back in 1989. He moved to a career-high No. 18 in the world and brings momentum onto the red clay of Paris.
Cristian Garin should make for a routine start to the tournament for Tien. The Chilean is ranked No. 85, lost in qualifying at Roland Garros last year, and hasn’t won a main-draw match at the French Open since 2022. He comes in having dropped his last three matches. Look for the American to advance.
Cheryl pick: Tien in 3
Ricky pick: Tien in 4
(4) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Daniel Altmaier
Felix Auger-Aliassime enters Roland Garros as the fourth seed, with Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal giving him a softer-looking path. But his clay season gives reason for pause. The Canadian is 4-4 on the surface in 2026, with a quarterfinal run in Monte-Carlo as the highlight. Since then, he dropped a round-of-16 match in Hamburg to Aleksandar Kovacevic after leading by a break in the deciding set and then lost in the first round in Rome to Navone. Grand Slams have a way of sharpening FAA’s focus, but he arrives with questions.
Altmaier has been the opposite story this clay swing. The German made the quarterfinals in Bucharest and then again in Hamburg, where he upset Ben Shelton in three sets for his first career top-10 win. He is 11-9 on clay in 2026 and playing with confidence. On paper this is FAA’s match to lose, but Altmaier has earned the right to be taken seriously. This one will likely go the distance. I’m giving the nod to the favorite, but not before a real battle.
Cheryl pick: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Ricky pick: Altmaier in 5