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Any discussion on the French Open is incomplete without the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. From talking about the possibility of Nadal winning his 12th title to analysing Federer's comeback, there is a lot of excitement among tennis enthusiasts.
The French Open 2019 gets underway on May 26 and the other topics of discussion are the probability of Serena Williams and Simona Halep adding one more title to their kitty. The Internet is rife with discussions on whether Osaka will win one more consecutive Grand Slam title or if Djokovic own the court like nobody's business. There is also a lot of talk about the performances of Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Johanna Konta. Will they be able to rise above the legends?
But just as any other Grand Slam Open, this year's French Open is much more than just these players. Let us look at the rising stars in this year's edition. These are tennis professionals who have been steadily improving over the last couple of years. They are young and have been doing well in the current season. The odds of them winning the Championship might be low, but they will leave no stone unturned in their quest for Grand Slam glory.
Here are five upcoming stars of French Open 2019, who have the ability to surprise one and all.
# 1 Maria Sakkari
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranks Maria Sakkari 29th in the world. She is athletic and strong. Maria has a variety of shots at her disposal and utilises them well. She comes to the French Open with good performances on clay. She reached the semi-finals in Istanbul in 2018, and won the Morrocan Open in May 2019 beating none other than Johanna Konta.
The rising star has defeated top players such as Petra Kvitová and Kiki Bertens on clay in 2019. She is in the same draw as Naomi Osaka and they could meet each other in the third round.
#2 Bianca Andreescu
The Canadian teenager, Bianca Andreescu is ranked 22 as of May 2019 by WTA. She has had a remarkable rise for some time now. Andreescu has defeated top-ranked players such as Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza and Venus Williams. She won the Indian Wells Masters 2019 (BNP Paribas Open) too, by defeating Kerber in the finals.
Andreescu is quite a powerful player with a variety of strokes. She plays cross court shots, drop shots and slices equally well. She seems to have the mental strength to pull off wins in long gruelling duels as well. Former tennis players like Martina Navratilova and Annabel Croft believe she is a stand-out performer and has the potential to become a tennis superstar. If all goes well for her, she could meet Serena Williams in the third round. That will definitely be a match to watch.
#3 Félix Auger-Aliassime
Another Canadian, rapidly rising in the ranks is the 18-year-old Félix Auger-Aliassime. In 2015, he became the youngest player ever to hold an ATP ranking. Over the last few years, he has been casting a more and more favourable impression in the tennis world. He is currently ranked 28th by ATP. There is a general consensus among the experts in the game that there is no apparent weakness in Auger-Aliassime’s game. As a junior, he has won the US Open twice and has been a finalist in the 2016 French Open.
In the seniors' tour, he has already won four Challenger titles and two ITF Futures titles. Watch out for him as his favourite surface is clay. Moreover, in the year 2019, he reached the finals of the Rio Open and was a semi-finalist in the Miami Open - both played on clay courts.
#4 Cristian Garin
Cristian Garin has won 2 ATP titles, 4 Challenger titles and 8 Futures titles. Currently ranked 37th in the world, he is a rising star. Garin moves fast on the court and is consistent with his shots. Furthermore, he places the ball well and has a variety of shots. He plays his best on the clay court. Garin also rises to the occasion when needed and seems to be built to play five-set matches with ease. The fact that he has saved a match point seven times in 2019 and gone on to win all those matches shows how well he can handle pressure.
He is placed in the same draw as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roger Federer. Though he has some stiff competition in the earlier rounds, his impressive track record in the clay-court season makes him a player to keep an eye on.
#5 Marketa Vondrousova
Marketa Vondrousova, the 19-year-old from the Czech Republic, grew up playing tennis on clay courts. Clay is her favourite surface and she is eager to make a mark in Roland Garros this year. She defeated last year's French Open champion, Simona Halep in the Rome Open earlier this year. She is ranked 38th in the women's circuit. She has won one WTA title and seven singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.
She is not only a powerful player, but a deft one as well. Marketa is a left handed player who can hit the ball at different angles, leaving her opponents confused. She uses her serve well too. Her favourite shot is the drop shot. She plays it beautifully and outwits her opponents with it regularly. Marketa Vondrousova could face Angelique Kerber in the second round. Considering her performance this season, she could give Kerber a serious run for her money.
