19 May 2014 | Tennis West

Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge will preview Roland Garros 2014 tomorrow, as the nation’s top tennis players get set to launch their French Open campaigns in Paris this weekend.

In Paris world No.20 Samantha Stosur (Qld), the 2010 French Open runner-up and a semi-finalist at the event in 2009 and 2012, will lead the Australian charge alongside Lleyton Hewitt (SA), Marinko Matosevic (Vic), Bernard Tomic (Qld) and WA favourites Matt Ebden (WA), and Casey Dellacqua (WA).

Dellacqua’s run to the second round of last week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome has seen her return to the top 50 for the first time in nearly six years.

After winning two rounds of qualifying and also her first round match over Magdalena Rybarikova in Rome, Dellacqua rose five places to No.48; the last time she ranked this highly was back in September 2008.

The West Australian has been one of the biggest movers in the WTA rankings of late, and has risen almost 100 places since the start of the season.

As recently as September 2013, she was ranked outside the world’s top 200, but has since gone 29-8 to markedly improve her standing in the game. Her current ranking puts her just nine places away from equalling her career-high mark of No.39, set in July 2008.

West Australian teen Storm Sanders has been awarded a wildcard into the qualifying draw at Roland Garros  and will hit the courts in Paris this week in a bid to earn her place in the main draw, with qualifying set to get under way on Tuesday night (AEST).

Sanders, 19, has shown impressive form as she continues to make the transition from junior to senior tennis, currently hovering just outside the world’s top 250.

The West Australian, noted for her work ethic off the court, has been selected to represent Australia at the past two Fed Cup ties in 2014.

Earlier this season, Sanders progressed to the second round in Hobart, and came within a few points of knocking off top 20 player Kirsten Flipkens to reach the quarters.

She came similarly close to upsetting Italian talent Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Australian Open, and since then, has reached the quarterfinals of the ITF $50,000 event in Seoul, Korea.