French Open ups prize money

Paris - The French Open will boast total prize money of €18.718 million this year, an increase of seven percent, with more cash targeted at early round losers.

The second Grand Slam event of the season is boosting prize money for losers in the second qualifying round up to the fourth round main draw by between 10 and 20 percent, organisers said.

This move comes after a series of complaints from the lower-ranked players who protested that early-round losers were being short-changed by the paymasters of the four Grand Slam tournaments.