PARIS: Prize money at the French Open, which starts next month, will be up 12 percent on last year, tournament director Guy Forget said on Wednesday. But the sum handed out to the winner will rise by only five percent from 2.0 to 2.1 million euros ($2.18-2.29 million). A first-round loser, on the other hand, stands to receive an increase of almost 17 percent from 30,000 to 35,000 euros. But the biggest winners will be those coming through qualifying, where prize money will jump around 33 percent. “We wanted to put emphasis on qualification as gap between the toppers and those trying to live off tennis is getting bigger,” said Forget. The total pot is up from 32 to 36 million euros.