How to watch Roland Garros (French Open) 2026 First Round
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The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24, with first-round matches running through Tuesday, May 26 at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Following qualifying week, the tournament moves into the main draw with 128 players competing in the singles events.
Some of the biggest opening-round matches include Jannik Sinner vs Clement Tabur, Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Novak Djokovic vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend, Iga Swiatek vs Emerson Jones, and Emma Raducanu vs Solana Sierra.
For free viewing, France Télévisions offers the broadest coverage through France 2, France 3, France 4, and france.tv. Australian viewers can also watch selected coverage for free on 9Gem and 9Now from May 24. Both services are geo-restricted, so travellers may need a VPN to access their usual stream.
Day sessions begin at 11:00 AM CEST (10:00 AM BST, 5:00 AM ET, 2:00 AM PT, 7:00 PM AEST, 2:30 PM IST), while the Court Philippe-Chatrier night session starts no earlier than 8:15 PM CEST. Below, we cover where to watch, free streaming options, and the key first-round schedule.
Where to watch Roland Garros 2026 First Round
Below is a complete overview of where to watch the First Round of the 2026 French Open by country.
| Country | Streaming Service | Price | Notes |
| France | France Télévisions / Prime Video | Free / subscription | Best free option. France.tv carries every daytime singles match through the quarterfinals. Prime Video has French rights to the night session. |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports / HBO Max | From £30.99/month | TNT Sports holds exclusive UK and Ireland rights. Every court is streamed live. |
| United States | Max / TNT / truTV | From $9.99/month | TNT Sports US is in year two of its deal. First Round day sessions stream on Max from early morning ET. |
| Canada | TSN / RDS | From CA$19.99/month | TSN carries English coverage across multiple channels and TSN+. RDS handles French-language. |
| Australia | 9Now / Stan Sport | Free / from AU$20/month | 9Now is free with a Nine account but does not show every match. Stan Sport carries every court live. |
| India | Sony LIV / Sony Sports | From INR 299/month | Sony Sports Network has Indian rights, with streaming on Sony LIV. |
How to watch Roland Garros 2026 First Round for free
First Round coverage is free on France Télévisions in France and on 9Gem / 9Now in Australia. France.tv is the most complete free option at this stage because it covers every daytime singles match across all courts through the quarterfinals, including the marquee First Round matchups on Court Philippe-Chatrier and Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Australian viewers get the main draw in English from Day 1, though 9Now does not stream every court.Both services are geo-restricted to their home countries, so if you are traveling outside France or Australia you need to connect to a VPN server in the right country to keep your free stream working. See our guide to the best VPNs for streaming for tested options.
- Choose a VPN. I recommend NordVPN for streaming, now 76% OFF, as it runs thousands of servers across 211 locations, including French and Australian cities, and uses the NordLynx protocol to keep around 86% of your normal internet speed – enough for smooth HD live tennis.
- Install the VPN app. Download NordVPN on your device. It is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.
- Connect to a server in your chosen country. Pick a French server for france.tv or an Australian server for 9Now. Your IP address will now appear local to that country.
- Go to the broadcaster. Visit france.tv or 9now.com.au in your browser, or open the app. Create a free account if you do not already have one.
Roland Garros 2026 First Round schedule
The First Round runs from Sunday, May 24th to Tuesday, May 26th, with day sessions on Court Philippe-Chatrier and Court Suzanne-Lenglen starting at 11:00 AM CEST and outside courts from 10:00 AM CEST. The Philippe-Chatrier night session begins not before 8:15 PM CEST each evening.
| Day | Paris (CEST) | UK (BST) | US (ET / PT) | India (IST) | Australia (AEST) |
| Day 1 – Sun May 24 | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 5:00 AM / 2:00 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Day 2 – Mon May 25 | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 5:00 AM / 2:00 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Day 3 – Tue May 26 | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 5:00 AM / 2:00 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
Notable First Round matches
Men's singles
- Jannik Sinner vs Clement Tabur (FRA, WC) – Sinner opens his career Grand Slam bid against the French wildcard ranked 165th.
- Novak Djokovic vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (FRA) – a tough opener for the 38-year-old against the big-serving home favourite.
- Alexander Zverev vs Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) – the 2024 finalist faces another tricky French opponent.
- Arthur Fils vs Stan Wawrinka – a generational duel between the French No. 1 and the 2015 Roland-Garros champion.
- Ben Shelton vs qualifier – the American power-hitter starts his clay campaign.
Women's singles
- Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (ESP) – the World No. 1 begins her bid to win Roland-Garros for the first time.
- Iga Swiatek vs Emerson Jones (AUS, WC) – the four-time champion opens against the teenage Australian wildcard.
- Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend (USA) – defending champion faces a tough all-American opener.
- Amanda Anisimova vs Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) – American comeback story continues.
- Emma Raducanu vs Solana Sierra (ARG) – Britain's Raducanu draws a clay-court specialist who reached the second week here last year.
Court assignments and exact session times for each match are published the evening before play on the official Roland-Garros order of play.
Why you need a VPN to watch Roland Garros 2026 First Round
France.tv and 9Now are both free inside their home countries but use IP-address detection to block viewers from outside France and Australia. This is a standard licensing restriction – the broadcasters only hold rights inside their own territory. If you try to load either platform while travelling, you will see a location error.
A VPN solves this by changing your virtual location. Connect to a French server and france.tv treats you as a viewer in Paris. Connect to an Australian server and 9Now lets you in as if you were in Sydney. This is a legitimate use of VPN technology and especially useful for French and Australian travellers, expats, and anyone in a country without a free First Round broadcaster.
Best VPNs to watch Roland Garros 2026 First Round
The three VPNs below have been tested for live sports streaming. They provide fast speeds, reliable unblocking of geo-restricted broadcasters, and stable HD playback – which matters when you are following a five-set First Round upset from the other side of the world.
- NordVPN – best overall for streaming. NordVPN starts at $3.49/month and has strong French and Australian server coverage. The NordLynx protocol achieves around 86% of baseline speeds in our tests, and Smart DNS support lets you use it on smart TVs that do not run native VPN apps. Read our full NordVPN review.
- Surfshark – best budget option. Surfshark starts at $2.49/month and allows unlimited simultaneous connections, so the whole household can watch on different devices. It runs 4,500+ servers across 100 countries and the WireGuard protocol held around 80% of baseline speeds in our tests – more than enough for buffer-free HD tennis. See our Surfshark review.
- Proton VPN – best for privacy-focused users. Based in Switzerland under strong privacy laws, Proton VPN runs 20,300+ servers across 148 countries and includes a free plan, while premium starts at $2.99/month. French and Australian server coverage is reliable for france.tv and 9Now. Read our Proton VPN review.
FAQ
When does the Roland Garros 2026 First Round start?
The First Round of the 2026 French Open main draw begins on Sunday, May 24th and runs through Tuesday, May 26th at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Day sessions on the main show courts open at 11:00 AM CEST, with outside courts from 10:00 AM and the Philippe-Chatrier night session not before 8:15 PM CEST.
Where can I watch the First Round for free?
In France, every daytime singles match streams free on france.tv through France Télévisions. In Australia, 9Gem airs free English-language coverage on free-to-air TV with streaming on 9Now. Both feeds are geo-restricted, so viewers outside those countries need a VPN connected to a French or Australian server.
Who does Jannik Sinner play in the First Round?
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner opens against French wildcard Clement Tabur, currently ranked a career-high 165th. The match is part of Sinner's bid to complete the career Grand Slam in Paris.
Who does Coco Gauff play in the First Round?
Defending champion Coco Gauff faces fellow American Taylor Townsend in her opener. Gauff comes into the tournament after a runner-up finish at the Italian Open and is seeded fourth.
