Rhys Lawlor will be the sole British representative in the main draw of the 2026 Roland Garros Junior Championships. In an edition where no British player received direct entry into the tournament, the 17-year-old battled his way through the notoriously difficult qualifying draw to extend his Parisian adventure. More importantly, the performance further highlights the steady rise of a player who has already caught attention in recent weeks on the senior circuit, particularly at the M25 event in Nottingham where he produced the best results of his young career so far.
Rhys Lawlor continues his rise and secures British representation in Paris
Seeded No.12 in qualifying, British youngster Rhys Lawlor was handed anything but an easy route. In the opening round, he faced French wildcard Damien Clerc. After dropping the opening set 4-6, Lawlor raised his level at exactly the right moment to turn the match around and claim a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. It was an important win mentally, especially as Australia’s Jake Dembo had just knocked out top qualifying seed Benjamin Azar of Canada in straight sets in the same section of the draw.
Lawlor then faced Dembo for a place in the main draw and completely controlled proceedings, sealing an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 victory. It was an especially impressive display given both the occasion and the confidence his opponent would have gained from eliminating the top seed just one round earlier.
The qualification run also confirms the progress Lawlor has shown recently on the senior ITF circuit. A few weeks ago at the M25 Nottingham event, the Brit produced the standout results of his career to date. At only 17 years old, he first defeated Spain’s Pablo Sanchez 6-4, 6-4 to secure his second senior main draw victory and a second ATP point. A few days later, he went one step further by defeating Ali Habib 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 to become the youngest British male player to reach the quarter-finals of an event at that level since Jack Draper. An outstanding week that eventually came to an end only in the final.
In the girls’ qualifying draw, Daniella Britton came agonisingly close to joining Lawlor in the main draw. The Brit began her campaign impressively with a solid 6-2, 6-4 victory over Brazil’s Pietra Rivoli. In the final qualifying round, she faced Ekaterina Dotsenko, who had previously eliminated eighth seed Wei Zhangqian. Britton made the perfect start by taking the opening set 7-6, winning the tie-break convincingly 7-3. However, the match became increasingly difficult both physically and mentally, as she eventually fell to a frustrating 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 defeat.
Even if British representation in this year’s Roland Garros junior event will be limited to just one player from the two who still had hopes of qualifying, recent results at junior level remain hugely encouraging. Over the last few years, Britain has once again developed impressive depth in the junior ranks. Henry Searle won the Wimbledon boys’ title in 2023, while Mika Stojsavljevic captured the 2024 US Open junior crown. Mingge Xu and Charlie Robertson have also both reached Grand Slam junior semi-finals over the last two seasons.
Mark Ceban won the prestigious Les Petits As tournament in 2023, while Hannah Klugman was runner-up in the 2022 edition before going on to win another major junior title at the Orange Bowl the following year. Klugman also reached the Roland Garros junior final last season, further underlining the growing strength of British junior tennis.
Rhys Lawlor will begin his Roland Garros Junior campaign on Monday 1 June and, following his recent performances and the confidence gained over the past few weeks, another impressive British run at junior Grand Slam level certainly cannot be ruled out.
