Bencic, McNally, Wang advance in Svitolina’s Roland-Garros part of the draw
Belinda Bencic beat Julia Kraus 6-2, 6-3 to win her first Roland-Garros match since 2022 and reach the second round at the French Open 2026, while Caty McNally came back from 3-6, 0-3 to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 and 32nd seed Xinyu Wang got past Lilli Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Belinda Bencic, Roland-Garros 2026
Three of the women in seed n°7 Elina Svitolina‘s quarter cleared the first round at Roland-Garros early on Sunday, with Belinda Bencic, Caty McNally and Xinyu Wang all setting themselves up for runs into the second week – and the 11th-seeded Bencic moving one step closer to a projected fourth-round meeting with Svitolina.
Bencic’s Triumphant Return to Paris
Bencic opened Court Philippe-Chatrier for the 2026 editions with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Julia Kraus, the Swiss player’s first victory at Roland-Garros since 2022. The 28-year-old has not played in Paris since 2023, before the birth of her daughter Bella, but the return has carried no rust. It was her 19th win of the 2026 season, and the world No. 11 hit the ball on Chatrier like a player who had never been away. She is seeded to face Svitolina in the round of 16. The Ukrainian, a three-time Rome champion who lifted her first WTA 1000 trophy in eight years there this month, opens her tournament against Anna Bondar and is chasing a maiden Roland-Garros final.
McNally’s Grand Slam Breakthrough
The match of the section belonged to McNally, who came from 3-6, 0-3 down to beat Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 for her first main-draw win at Roland-Garros. The American has been quietly assembling the best clay run of her career – a fourth-round appearance in Madrid, a three-set loss to Iga Swiątek in Rome – and Sunday’s recovery on the Paris clay was the moment that form turned into a Grand Slam result.
Wang Secures Her Spot
Wang, the 32nd seed, edged Austria’s Lilli Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in a third set she had nearly lost the grip on, leading 5-1 before being pulled back to 5-4. The 24-year-old Chinese arrived in Paris having lost five of her previous six matches, but struck the ball with the confidence of a player, 2025 Roland-Garros junior champion, rediscovering her clay timing at the right tournament.
