Two Former Cavaliers Set to Compete at the Roland Garros French Open 

Navarro has been off to a hot start this year, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and winning the Mérida Open in Mexico this past March. 

The Charleston, South Carolina native was the runner-up in the junior French Open in 2019. In the pros, Navarro has improved year-over-year at Roland Garros, advancing to the second round in her first year before advancing all the way to the fourth round in 2024. 

Navarro is the ninth-seeded player at this year's event and will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro from Spain in the first round. 

At Virginia, Navarro won the NCAA Singles Championship in 2021. 

Danielle Collins will also compete in the French Open, bringing more experience than Navarro as this is her 8th professional visit to Roland Garros. At Virginia, Collins boasted a 101-20 record as she went on to earn All-ACC first team all three years she spent in Charlottesville. She also claimed NCAA Singles Titles in 2014 and 2016.

Once on Tour, Collins quickly climbed the WTA rankings, breaking into the Top 50 in her first full year. After that, Collins continued to ascend with performances such as a quarterfinals at the French Open in 2020 and the finals of the Australian Open in 2022. 

In 2022, Collins notched the world No. 7 ranking, the highest of her career, which also made her the American No. 1 at that time.

Last year, after the Australian Open, she announced that 2024 would be her final year of playing professional tennis.

Despite this, in October of 2024, Collins announced that she'd return for 2025, citing that her "story hasn't reached its conclusion" in an Instagram post. 

Collins is known for her powerful groundstrokes and for having one of the most powerful serves on the WTA Tour. Collins also has shown to embody a defiant and fearless mentality that saw her taunt a raucous crowd that heckled her frequently in a match back in January when she defeated an Aussie native at the Australian Open.

Collins will begin her French Open against Jodie Anna Burrage of Great Britain. If Collins wins her first two matches, she will likely face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Both former Hoos begin play at 5:00 AM Eastern Time on Sunday, May 25th.

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