French Open Tennis Kicks Off Monday, May 18 - Live Daily Coverage from Qualifiers on WOWOW! 'Kimiko Date x Ryoma Ito French Open Pre-Tournament Special' Now Streaming!
WOWOW will provide live daily coverage of the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, with the main draw starting Sunday, May 24. For the first time since its launch, WOWOW will also air the qualifiers live daily from Monday, May 18, and is streaming a pre-tournament special on YouTube featuring Kimiko Date and Ryoma Ito to build excitement.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 14, 2026 at 12:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 14, 2026 at 14:29 (1h 56m after Collected)
WOWOW will deliver live daily coverage of the 'French Open Tennis,' the second Grand Slam of the season, with the main draw beginning on Sunday, May 24. Furthermore, this year, for the first time since the station's opening, the qualifiers held over five days from Monday, May 18 to Friday, May 22, will also be broadcast live daily.
The men's qualifiers are scheduled to feature Sho Shimabukuro, who is at a career-high ranking and is the highest-ranked Japanese player, as well as Rei Sakamoto, Shintaro Mochizuki, and Rio Noguchi, who are gaining experience on clay courts for their first French Open challenge. In the women's draw, the lineup includes Himeno Sakatsume, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open in January, Nao Hibino, who is aiming for her fourth consecutive main draw appearance, Aoi Ito, and Mai Hontama.
You can't take your eyes off the qualifiers, where fierce battles will unfold on the red clay for a ticket to the Grand Slam main draw.
Additionally, a special program packed with information to better enjoy the French Open, including highlights and the latest news, titled 'Live Daily from the Qualifiers This Year! French Open Tennis 2026 Pre-Opening Special ~WOWOW Tennis Ambassadors Kimiko Date x Ryoma Ito Thoroughly Explain the Red Clay Power Chart~' is now streaming on the official WOWOW YouTube channel. The program features talk sessions with WOWOW Tennis Ambassador Ms. Kimiko Date, former London 2012 Olympian Mr. Ryoma Ito, and announcer Hiroki Yokouchi, who will discuss the unique charms of the qualifiers and information on notable Japanese players. Through this program, we hope you will enjoy the 'French Open Tennis' 'from the qualifiers' this year.
[Comment from Ms. Kimiko Date]
'For the women, while world No. 1 Sabalenka has outstanding ability, I have no idea what will happen at this year's French Open! I'm paying attention to what might happen at the French Open, a clay court tournament Sabalenka struggles with. I also have hopes for the return of the four-time French Open champion and queen of clay, Swiatek. I think the French Open qualifiers are the toughest for Japanese players, but I'm hoping players like Hibino, who has experienced the main draw many times, will advance.'
[Comment from Mr. Ryoma Ito]
'For the men, with Alcaraz's withdrawal, it seems more likely that Sinner, who is aiming to complete a career Grand Slam at this tournament, will win. However, I'm also looking forward to the performance of veteran Djokovic, who defeated Sinner at this year's Australian Open, and promising young players like Hodal and Fonseca. I'm especially excited about Hodal, who has risen to world No. 34! Among the Japanese players, I have high hopes for Sakamoto, who has the raw talent to succeed on any surface. With his height and variety of shots, I think he can perform well on clay courts.'
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[Broadcast & Streaming Information]
'French Open Tennis Qualifiers'
5/18 (Mon) - 5/22 (Fri)
'Qualifiers Day 1' 5/18 (Mon) 04:45 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 2' 5/19 (Tue) 04:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 3' 5/20 (Wed) 04:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 4' 5/21 (Thu) 05:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Final Day' 5/22 (Fri) 05:50 PM~
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
'French Open Tennis'
5/24 (Sun) - 6/7 (Sun) Live daily on WOWOW!
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
[Related Program Information]
'French Open Tennis Documentary: Sinner vs Alcaraz 2025 Final - The Fierce Battle Seen from Ball Kids'
5/24 (Sun) 4:45 PM
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
■For broadcast/streaming information, etc., click here■
[WOWOW On Demand] https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/149
[WOWOW Tennis Official Website] https://www.wowow.co.jp/sports/tennis/
[WOWOW Tennis Official X] https://x.com/wowowtennis
[WOWOW Tennis Official Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/wowowtennis/
[WOWOW Official YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/user/WOWOWofficial
The men's qualifiers are scheduled to feature Sho Shimabukuro, who is at a career-high ranking and is the highest-ranked Japanese player, as well as Rei Sakamoto, Shintaro Mochizuki, and Rio Noguchi, who are gaining experience on clay courts for their first French Open challenge. In the women's draw, the lineup includes Himeno Sakatsume, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open in January, Nao Hibino, who is aiming for her fourth consecutive main draw appearance, Aoi Ito, and Mai Hontama.
You can't take your eyes off the qualifiers, where fierce battles will unfold on the red clay for a ticket to the Grand Slam main draw.
Additionally, a special program packed with information to better enjoy the French Open, including highlights and the latest news, titled 'Live Daily from the Qualifiers This Year! French Open Tennis 2026 Pre-Opening Special ~WOWOW Tennis Ambassadors Kimiko Date x Ryoma Ito Thoroughly Explain the Red Clay Power Chart~' is now streaming on the official WOWOW YouTube channel. The program features talk sessions with WOWOW Tennis Ambassador Ms. Kimiko Date, former London 2012 Olympian Mr. Ryoma Ito, and announcer Hiroki Yokouchi, who will discuss the unique charms of the qualifiers and information on notable Japanese players. Through this program, we hope you will enjoy the 'French Open Tennis' 'from the qualifiers' this year.
[Comment from Ms. Kimiko Date]
'For the women, while world No. 1 Sabalenka has outstanding ability, I have no idea what will happen at this year's French Open! I'm paying attention to what might happen at the French Open, a clay court tournament Sabalenka struggles with. I also have hopes for the return of the four-time French Open champion and queen of clay, Swiatek. I think the French Open qualifiers are the toughest for Japanese players, but I'm hoping players like Hibino, who has experienced the main draw many times, will advance.'
[Comment from Mr. Ryoma Ito]
'For the men, with Alcaraz's withdrawal, it seems more likely that Sinner, who is aiming to complete a career Grand Slam at this tournament, will win. However, I'm also looking forward to the performance of veteran Djokovic, who defeated Sinner at this year's Australian Open, and promising young players like Hodal and Fonseca. I'm especially excited about Hodal, who has risen to world No. 34! Among the Japanese players, I have high hopes for Sakamoto, who has the raw talent to succeed on any surface. With his height and variety of shots, I think he can perform well on clay courts.'
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
[Broadcast & Streaming Information]
'French Open Tennis Qualifiers'
5/18 (Mon) - 5/22 (Fri)
'Qualifiers Day 1' 5/18 (Mon) 04:45 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 2' 5/19 (Tue) 04:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 3' 5/20 (Wed) 04:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Day 4' 5/21 (Thu) 05:50 PM~
'Qualifiers Final Day' 5/22 (Fri) 05:50 PM~
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
'French Open Tennis'
5/24 (Sun) - 6/7 (Sun) Live daily on WOWOW!
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
[Related Program Information]
'French Open Tennis Documentary: Sinner vs Alcaraz 2025 Final - The Fierce Battle Seen from Ball Kids'
5/24 (Sun) 4:45 PM
[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]
■For broadcast/streaming information, etc., click here■
[WOWOW On Demand] https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/149
[WOWOW Tennis Official Website] https://www.wowow.co.jp/sports/tennis/
[WOWOW Tennis Official X] https://x.com/wowowtennis
[WOWOW Tennis Official Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/wowowtennis/
[WOWOW Official YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/user/WOWOWofficial