Toby Samuel Nears First Grand Slam Singles Appearance
Before the 2024 French Open, Toby Samuel had only secured one Grand Slam qualifying match victory, which came at Wimbledon in 2023.
Now, Britain's Toby Samuel stands just one win away from making his debut in a Grand Slam singles main draw after defeating former world number seven David Goffin in the French Open qualifying rounds. This victory sets up the most financially rewarding match of his career to date.
The 23-year-old Samuel was ranked outside the top 1,300 globally just a year ago but has climbed to a career-high ranking of 159 following his success in winning four titles on the ATP Challenger Tour, the secondary tier of men's professional tennis.
On Wednesday, Samuel staged a remarkable comeback to overcome the experienced Belgian player Goffin with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. This match marked Goffin's final appearance at Roland Garros.
Samuel is now set to face Peru's Gonzalo Bueno in the decisive qualifying round, with the winner earning a spot in the French Open main draw.
By securing his first two qualifying wins at an overseas Grand Slam, Samuel has earned 57,000 euros (£49,300), which represents a 42% increase on his total career prize money of £118,300.
Victory in the final qualifying match would add an additional 48,000 euros (£41,500) to his earnings and guarantee a minimum prize of 87,000 euros (£75,200) for reaching the first round of the main draw.
"First of all, it was an honour to play against David in his last Roland Garros," Samuel said to the crowd on Suzanne Lenglen Court, the tournament's second-largest arena.
"You're an inspiration to all tennis players out there, it was amazing sharing the court with you.
"It was the craziest atmosphere I've ever been a part of."
Samuel missed a significant portion of the 2024 season due to injury and reported that it was not until mid-2025 that he felt fully healthy again.
Despite never having played a match on the ATP Tour, he is now on the cusp of competing on one of tennis's biggest stages.
Other British Players and Notable Qualifying Results
Meanwhile, British players Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart were defeated in the second round of qualifying in Paris. Additionally, British number three Jan Choinski withdrew before his scheduled match against France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Clarke lost 6-4, 6-3 to Frenchman Thomas Faurel, ranked 382nd, while Dart was defeated 6-1, 6-4 by Spain's Leyre Romero Gormaz, who is ranked 159th in the world.
Former world number four Bianca Andreescu and two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova also exited in qualifying rounds.
Canada's Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, was beaten 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 by Slovakia's Viktoria Hruncakova.
Czech player Pliskova, aged 34 and a runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2016 US Open, lost 6-3, 6-2 to Spain's Marina Bassols Ribera.
However, former US Open champion and 2018 Roland-Garros runner-up Sloane Stephens advanced to the final qualifying round with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italy's Lisa Pigato.
Players must win three qualifying matches to secure a place in the main draw at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday.
Event Details and Coverage
The 2024 French Open runs from Sunday, 24 May to Sunday, 7 June.
Live text commentaries of key matches are available on the website and app, along with daily live commentary from Court Philippe-Chatrier broadcast across 5 Live Sport, , and the website and app.
