ATP Tour news: Toby Samuel the shining star as British players fall short in French Open qualifying
At each of the four Grand Slam tournaments, 128 players battle through three qualifying stages to earn one of 16 places in the main draw – being involved in qualifying means a player was not ranked sufficiently high enough to gain direct entry.
For 11 of the 12 British competitors at the 2026 French Open, it was a case of au revoir to the terre battue until next year.
As for Toby Samuel, however, successful qualification for this year’s edition of Roland-Garros is the latest chapter in an extraordinary six-month success story.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and tennis fan AJ Becker takes a closer look at both Samuel’s achievements and the fortunes of the other Brits on the Parisian clay last week.
Samuel shines at Roland-Garros
Toby Samuel’s journey is among the more incredible British tennis has witnessed this century.
After completing his sports management degree at the University of South Carolina, the 23-year-old committed fully to the professional tour last year.
The gamble would pay real dividends as Samuel compiled an outstanding 62-17 record and in November, he won back-to-back Challenger titles in the Gulf.
If 2025 was the prelude for take-off, then 2026 was the rocket launching into orbit.
Samuel once again pulled off consecutive Challenger trophies in Greece during March, dropping a mere two sets across 20 matches in four events.
Indeed, it is rare for a British athlete to succeed in reaching an overseas Grand Slam on their first attempt, and one can hardly think of a precedent for doing so on clay.
Last week, Samuel took on rising American star Martin Damm, Peruvian surface specialist Gonzalo Bueno, and Belgium’s David Goffin – a former top 10 player in his final year on tour – and defeated all three to join the eight other Grand Slam debutants at Roland-Garros 2026.
Having been the world number 1352 this time last year, the South Coast native now finds himself positioned at number 159 in the rankings, an enthralling dreamland of his own making.
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Gill continues to graft
Felix Gill has also become an increasingly significant figure in recent months.
The Midlander’s maiden Challenger final came at the start of March, preceded and followed by other semi-final placings.
The 23-year-old has substantial positive history with clay – at least at ITF level – and after dispatching the out-of-form Aziz Dougaz, he turned an impending defeat into victory against erstwhile top 40 player Alex Molcan (whose Munich exploits I wrote about last month).
Although Gill fell to the (considerably higher-ranked) home player Kyrian Jacquet at the final stage, he has proven capable of operating comfortably within the domain of clay.
Ranked number 640 a year ago, Gill is now in the top 250 on merit – a Wimbledon wildcard may be warranted to further advance his newfound confidence and clarity.
Clay inexperience a problem
Another Brit who has been building momentum for some time is 24-year-old Harry Wendelken, with four Challenger finals in six months taking the East Anglian to a career-high ranking of number 223 in April.
Even so, his relative lack of exposure on clay means he likely rates it as his worst surface – his defeat in stage one to eventual qualifier Luka Pavlovic therefore came as no surprise.
The above might also apply to other Brits residing in the lower reaches of the top 250.
Arthur Fery, qualifier and main-draw match winner at the Australian Open, had never competed on clay before.
Charles Broom and Jack Pinnington Jones, meanwhile, had not done so since 2023 and 2022, respectively, placing their early defeats in context, although the latter’s general stagnation since his Dallas run in February remains a concern.
A first Grand Slam on foreign soil also remains elusive for Oliver Crawford, who has been unable to claim a Challenger trophy in six years of competing, and Liam Broady, whose fortunes have slid alarmingly since his top 100 entry in 2023.
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Injury heartbreak for Choinski
The top 100 is currently giving a ‘come hither’ look to German-born Jan Choinski, whose eight successive Challenger finals – five within the last year – have all taken place on clay.
With a more than adequate grasp of the art of clay-court tennis, it is probable that his Parisian voyage would have ended in qualification had it not been capsized by a wave of injury leading to his withdrawal before the second round began.
Clarke, Harris & Evans struggle
Yet again, Jay Clarke’s endeavours have been indifferently received.
His stage-two loss to wild card Thomas Faurel maintains the 27-year-old’s uninterrupted record of failing to qualify for Grand Slams (in 16 attempts).
By the same token, Billy Harris is making no real headway on any surface.
The 31-year-old finds himself in a mire of tour-level qualifying exits – 10 this year – from which he has yet to emerge.
Elsewhere, Dan Evans’ loss to unranked 17-year-old Daniel Jade was infinitely more dispiriting as it came four months after his last match, a similarly ill-fated attempt to reach the Australian Open.
As ever with Evans, one has recurrent reservations on whether his heart is truly in the sport.
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