GB's Samuel qualifies for first Grand Slam

Before this year's French Open, Toby Samuel had only won one Grand Slam qualifying match - at Wimbledon in 2023 Britain's Toby Samuel will make his Grand Slam main draw debut after triumphing in the final round of French Open qualifying. The 23-year-old has climbed to 159th in the world after a series of title triumphs on the ATP Challenger Tour, having been ranked outside the world's top 1,300 just 12 months ago. After overcoming former world number seven David Goffin on Wednesday, Samuel battled back from a set down against Peru's Gonzalo Bueno to win 5-7 6-1 6-3 in Paris.

He is now guaranteed to more than double his career prize money total of £118,300. Samuel will receive at least £166,000 as a reward for his efforts even if he loses his first-round match when the tournament begins on Sunday. Samuel missed much of the 2024 season after suffering bone bruising in his right arm and slipped to almost 2,000 in the world rankings.

He has said he received support from fellow British player Jack Draper during those difficult moments - and attempted to return the favour when Draper suffered a similar injury last year. Raducanu faces tricky start - who plays who at French Open? French Open - schedule, seedings and how to follow Samuel told BBC Sport earlier this year that he did not feel completely healthy until midway through 2025.

He has gone from strength to strength since then, winning four Challenger titles - the second tier of men's professional tennis - since November. Now, he must now prepare for the biggest match of his career after overcoming the 185th-ranked Bueno. The Briton's instinctive reaction to winning was to place his hands on his head in disbelief as he attempted to process his achievement.