PARIS, May 26. /TASS/. Russian teen Alina Korneeva debuted at the French Open on Tuesday, beating Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Russia’s Korneeva, who is playing at the tournament in Paris under a neutral status as a qualifier, outplayed her unseeded Italian opponent in straight sets 6-3; 6-3.

Korneeva, 18, is currently ranked 117th in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Rankings, and has yet to win a tour title. Her best major result was reaching the second round at the 2024 Australian Open.

Italy’s Cocciaretto, 25, is 38th in the WTA Rankings, having won two career titles. Her best result at Grand Slam tournaments was at the 2024 French Open, when she reached the fourth round.

One of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the 2026 French Open takes place in Paris, nicknamed the "City of Light," between May 24 and June 7. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff from the United States are the tournament’s reigning champions on the men's and women's sides respectively.

Russian and Belarusian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations moved to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from participating in the 2022 Davis Cup and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.