Djokovic and Alcaraz in same half of Paris draw

Novak Djokovic is on a collision course with world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open semi-finals.

At the draw in Paris, Djokovic, seeded third, was pulled out in the same half as the US Open champion from Spain, meaning they could meet in a blockbuster last-four tennis showdown.

Alcaraz won their only other previous meeting, in Madrid last year.

Two-time winner Djokovic, looking for a 23rd grand slam title, faces American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round.

Alcaraz, 20, and second seed Daniil Medvedev will begin their campaigns against qualifiers.

British number one Cameron Norrie takes on unpredictable Frenchman Benoit Paire, and he could run into Alcaraz in the fourth round.

Dan Evans faces a tough opener against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jack Draper meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.

They are the only three British players in the main draw at Roland Garros after Kyle Edmund, who has been beset by knee problems for the past two years, withdrew due to a wrist injury.

Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu pulled out earlier this month, while six British women lost in the qualifying rounds.

Katie Boulter produced a gutsy display against Ashlyn Krueger but failed to serve out for the match as she was beaten in the second qualifying round on Wednesday.

On a difficult day for Britons attempting to progress into the Roland Garros main draw, Boulter joined Harriet Dart, Fran Jones, Liam Broady, Ryan Peniston and Jan Choinski in losing in Paris.

In the women’s draw, 2022 champion Iga Swiatek will begin her title defence against Spanish world number 67 Cristina Bucsa.

The world number one could face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, seeded fourth, in the semi-finals.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the opening round.

Last year’s runner-up Coco Gauff starts against former French Open junior champion Rebeka Masarova of Spain.

Third seed Jessica Pegula and last year’s Australian Open finalist Danielle

Collins meet in an all-american clash, and two-time grand slam winner Victoria Azarenka takes on 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

Meanwhile, British No 1 Norrie continued his solid run in the Lyon Open with victory over sixth seed Sebastian Baez to reach the semi-finals.

The defending champion secured a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 victory in his quarter-final clash with Baez, who he defeated at the same stage in last year’s competition.

A strong third set saw Norrie reach the semis in Lyon for a fourth time and he was pleased with his confidence going into that deciding set.

“The second set he came back strong, he was winning the tougher games like I was in the first set,” Norrie told the ATP website.

“I tried to reset and came out with a lot of energy.

“I have won a lot of three-set matches this year, so I had a lot of confidence going into the decider and I thought it was a solid match.”

The victory sets up a semi-final against Francisco Cerundolo, who defeated Norrie’s fellow Briton Jack Draper 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 yesterday.

SLAM: Novak Djokovic is seeded third at Roland Garros.