👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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On tap today: that Sinner-Alcaraz final, Roland-Garros qualies kick off, some surprising entrants in the final week of clay prep, a wild fifth Grand Slam entry, Danielle Collins takes on Sofia Kenin, plus more in tennis news today.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 The Sinner-Alcaraz test: On Sunday, Jannik Sinner took on Carlos Alcaraz in perhaps the most anticipated match from the moment the draw was released nearly two weeks prior. For a set, the match was a true battle between the rivals. However, once the first set came to an end, Alcaraz ran away with the rest of the match, 7-6, 6-1.

  • Deciding factors: Throughout the entire match, Alcaraz not only played the points better, but he also dictated how the points would be played. For most of the first set, Sinner kept up, even if he was uncomfortable being on the receiving end of the role he usually mans. By the second set, he ran out of answers and possibly gas after an intense two weeks for his first tournament back since the end of his doping suspension.
  • What he said: “Tactically, since the beginning till the last ball, I didn’t lose the focus, which is great for me,” Alcaraz said after the match. “Probably one of the best matches I played so far in terms of level, ­maintain all the level during the whole match. So I’m just really proud about that.” He added: “Beating Jannik, winning Rome, both things mix together and give [me] great confidence going to Paris. I always say ‘The final is not about playing, the final is about winning.’ I just repeat [that] approach every time I play a final.”
  • And what he said: “First set for sure was a little bit of a game-changer. But talking generally, [I am] very happy about this tournament,” Sinner said. “It gives me hopefully confidence to play some good tennis also in Paris. Let's see what's coming out there.” He added: “But after three months, coming here, making this result means a lot to me, a lot to my team also. We worked a lot to be here.”

🎾 Qualies kicks off: Today, qualifying at Roland-Garros begins, with a number of players who were once at the top of the game (including major titleholders) competing to get back into the main draw in Paris. It’s also a test run for TNT Sports to get their production house in order before the main event begins on Sunday.

  • ICYMI: This year’s Roland-Garros will not be subject to the confusing patchwork coverage by Tennis Channel, NBC, and Peacock. Instead, a whole new player has entered the tennis broadcast arena: TNT Sports. Get comfortable, because this is a 10-year deal Warner Bros. Discovery signed with the French Tennis Federation for a reported $65 million a year — more than five times the amount Tennis Channel and NBC were paying.

🎾 One last push: There’s one last week of final preparations before the main draw of Roland-Garros begins, with tournaments in Strasbourg, Rabat, Hamburg, and Geneva. Ordinarily, these weeks are for mid-to-lower-ranked players who haven’t gotten quite enough matches in the 1000-heavy clay season. But this year, the players include several players around the top 10 (and those who have recently dropped from the top 10 due to a poor clay season.

  • Surprisingly in action this week: Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Paula Badosa, Elena Rybakina, Daria Kasatkina, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe, and Andrey Rublev.

🎾 More 5th Grand Slam talk: But this time, they mean it. Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president Angelo Binaghi isn’t interested in academic debate about which of the 1000 events is worthy of becoming the next major. He has every intention of making the Internazionali BNL d’Italia an event equal to the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.

  • What he said: “In what other part of society is there a monopoly that lasts for more than 100 years?” Binaghi said Sunday, as the Italian Open came to a close. “Why are there always four and always the same four? ... It’s absolutely unfair and doesn’t help tennis grow.”
  • Crazy talk?: We here at Court Theory HQ can think of more than a few monopolies that have endured. As far as the other majors are concerned, it took decades before they could agree on how a fifth set should end. But Binaghi may have found a topic where they’ll come to a quick agreement, although they have chosen not to respond to a request for comment thus far.

And, that’s game.

What They Said

I’m not feeling myself the favorite. It’s always tough to play a tournament like that. Trying to stay focused on the first match and hopefully I will play more matches than one. I just want to step on court and enjoy the match and not to think too much about expectations.

-Jasmine Paolini after winning the Italian Open — the final 1000 event before Roland-Garros — and moving ahead of Iga Swiatek in the rankings.

Watch This!

🔥 Danielle Collins vs. Sofia Kenin (1st round - WTA 500 - Strasbourg): Two Americans facing off in the first round as they try to get their final preparation for Roland-Garros deserves our attention. But this is a fun match-up of contrasting styles between pure power player versus counterpuncher. And neither one is short on bringing the drama.

  • The record: Danielle Collins leads the head-to-head record over Sofia Kenin, 3-1. However, all three of the Collins wins came on hard court, while Kenin’s sole win was the most recent meeting on the clay of Roland-Garros — but that was five years ago.
  • On the line: For Collins, it’s about as basic as it gets. After only playing in Rome during the European clay season, she needs matches going into Roland-Garros, and an early exit won’t help on that front. Kenin is in a similar boat after making the final of Charleston and going 2-2 after traveling to Europe due to some unlucky draws.
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On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

Strasbourg - WTA 500 (Clay)

  • Danielle Collins vs. Sofia Kenin (1st round)
  • Emma Raducanu vs. Daria Kasatkina (1st round)
  • McCartney Kessler vs. Ashlyn Krueger (1st round)
  • Anna Kalinskaya vs. Caroline Dolehide (1st round)

Rabat - WTA 250 (Clay)

  • Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Viktoriya Tomova (1st round)
  • Ann Li vs. Maria Timofeeva (1st round)
  • Hailey Baptiste vs. Camilla Rosatello (1st round)

Hamburg - ATP 500 (Clay)

  • Marcos Giron vs. Roberto Bautista Agut (1st round)
  • Borna Gojo vs. Jiri Lehecka (1st round)
  • Alexander Zverev vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic (1st round)
  • Andrey Rublev vs. Damir Dzumhur (1st round)

Geneva - ATP 250 (Clay)

  • Dusan Lajovic vs. Jacob Fearnley (1st round)
  • Kei Nishikori vs. Learner Tien (1st round)
  • Matteo Arnaldi vs. Hugo Gaston (1st round)
  • Cameron Norrie vs. Dominic Stricker (1st round)
  • Marton Fucsovic vs. Zizou Bergs (1st round)

📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.

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For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.