The second Grand Slam tournament of the 2026 season, the French Open, will begin on May 24th. WOWOW will broadcast the tournament live every day. This year, for the first time since its launch, the qualifying rounds, which will be held over five days from May 18th to 22nd, will also be broadcast live every day.
The qualifying rounds will feature, among the men, Sho Shimabukuro, who is currently achieving a career-high ranking and is the highest-ranked Japanese player in the world, as well as Rei Sakamoto, Shintaro Mochizuki, and Rio Noguchi, who are gaining clay court experience ahead of their first appearance at the French Open. The women's qualifiers will include Himeno Sakazume, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open in January, Nao Hibino, Aoi Ito, and Mai Honma, who are aiming for their fourth consecutive main draw appearance.
Additionally, a special program titled "This year, live coverage from the qualifying rounds every day! French Open Tennis 2026 Pre-Opening Special - WOWOW Tennis Ambassadors Kimiko Date and Tatsuma Ito give a thorough explanation of the power dynamics on the clay courts," which includes information to help you enjoy the French Open even more, such as highlights of this tournament and the latest news, is currently being streamed on the official WOWOW YouTube channel.
WOWOW Tennis Ambassador Kimiko Date, former Japanese representative at the 2012 London Olympics Tatsuma Ito, and announcer Hiroki Yokouchi discuss the unique appeal of qualifying rounds and provide information on notable Japanese players in a talk format.
Date commented on the highlights, saying, "For the women's tournament, I think world number one (Arina) Sabalenka (Belarus) is far ahead in terms of skill, but I have no idea what will happen at this year's French Open! I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen this year at the French Open on clay courts, which Sabalenka struggles with. I'm also hoping to see a comeback from the queen of clay, (Iga) Świątek (Poland), who has won the French Open four times. For Japanese players, I think the French Open qualifiers are the toughest, but I'm hoping that players like Hibino, who has experience in the main draw many times, will advance."
Ito commented, "In the men's competition, with Carlos Alcaraz (Poland) absent, it seems likely that Jannik Sinner (Italy), who is aiming to achieve a career Grand Slam at this tournament, will win. However, I'm also looking forward to seeing veteran Novak Djokovic (Serbia), who defeated Sinner at this year's Australian Open, and promising young players like Rafael Hodal (Spain) and João Fonseca (Brazil). In particular, Hodal has risen to 34th in the world rankings, so I'm most excited to see him play! Among the Japanese players, I have high hopes for Sakamoto, who has the potential to perform well on any surface (court surface). He is tall and has a variety of shots, so I think he can perform well on clay courts as well."
The French Open qualifying rounds will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 4:45 PM on the first day (18th), from 4:50 PM on the second and third days (19th and 20th), and from 5:50 PM on the fourth and final days (21st and 22nd). The main tournament of the French Open will be broadcast live daily on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from May 24th to June 7th. On the opening day, May 24th, from 4:45 PM, WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand will broadcast and stream "French Open Tennis Documentary: Sinner vs. Alcaraz 2025 Final - A Fierce Battle Seen from the Ball Kids' Perspective".
