Sharma, O’Connell get Australian wild cards for French Open

<p>MELBOURNE, Australia &mdash; Astra Sharma and Chris O’Connell have been awarded wild-card entries into the French Open, Tennis Australia said Thursday.</p>
<p>Sharma improved her ranking by 49 places to world No. 116 after defeating No. 27 Ons Jabeur to win her first singles title on the WTA Tour in Charleston, West Virginia, last month.</p>
<p>It will be the 25-year-old Sharma’s third consecutive main-draw appearance at Roland Garros. Last year she reached the second round, scoring a career-best Grand Slam win against world No. 58 Anna Blinkova in the opening round.</p>
<p>O’Connell, ranked 128th on the ATP Tour, will make his Roland Garros debut when the tournament begins on May 30. </p>
<p>The wild-card entries were granted under a reciprocal agreement between Tennis Australia and the French federation.</p>
<p>Other Australians in the main draw in Paris include world No. 1 and 2019 champion Ash Barty. The top-ranked Australian male in the tournament is No. 22 Alex de Minaur.</p>
<p>No. 56-ranked Nick Kyrgios announced in mid-April that he wouldn’t be playing in the French Open.</p>
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