Serena William Returning To Paris, Could Face Sharapova In 4th Round
PARIS (AP) -- Serena Williams could face Maria Sharapova in the fourth round of the French Open on her return to Grand Slam tennis from maternity leave.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion will open her campaign at the clay-court Grand Slam against 70th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
Without a seeding, Williams was placed in the same quarter of the draw as Sharapova, who is unseeded too.
Williams, a three-time French Open champion, is playing in her first major since giving birth to her daughter in September. Ranked No. 453, Williams entered Roland Garros under the WTA's protected ranking rule but has not been granted a seed by organizers.
Top-ranked Simona Halep will open against Alison Riske, and defending champion Jelena Ostapenko will take on Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine.
The tournament starts on Sunday.