Maria Sharapova on track for French Open seeding

Maria Sharapova is on course to be seeded at the French Open thanks to her run at this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Russian, who has defeated Ash Barty, Dominika Cibulkova and Daria Gavrilova to reach the quarterfinals in Rome, is projected to rise from her current ranking of No.40 to at least No.31 next week.

That should ensure she will be among the 32 players seeded at the French Open later this month – for the first time at a Grand Slam since Australian Open 2016.

“It is a step in the right direction,” Sharapova said.

Being seeded at @rolandgarros isn’t the end goal, but for @MariaSharapova, it’s a step in the right direction.

But first, she's concentrating on facing Jelena Ostapenko in the @InteBNLdItalia quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/SZnP6IQ6WL

— WTA (@WTA) May 17, 2018

The 31-year-old is set to compete in Paris, where she won the title in 2012 and 2014, for the first time since 2015.

QUIZ: How did these No.1 players end their careers?

This time last year, in the early stages of her return from a 15-month doping suspension and ranked No.211, a wildcard request was denied by the French Tennis Federation. It prompted this defiant tweet from the former world No.1:

pic.twitter.com/Rtpywk8iKt

— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) May 17, 2017

There is also good news for Novak Djokovic, who is enjoying a return to form in Rome.

The former world No.1 has won three consecutive matches without dropping a set for the first time since July last year to reach the Internazionali BNL d’Italia quarterfinals.

Djokovic was at risk of being unseeded at the French Open for the first time in 12 years if he lost early in Rome.