By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek faces tough opposition as she looks for a third consecutive Roland Garros title.
- Top Seeds: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina
- British Interest: Katie Boulter [26], Harriet Dart
PARIS, FRANCE – Iga Swiatek is looking to win her third consecutive Roland Garros title as she aims to overcome a challenging draw in Paris.
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[1] Iga Swiatek
Best Result: Champion (2020, 2022, 2023)
Swiatek is looking to complete a hat-trick of consecutive Roland Garros titles and enters this year’s tournament having completed the Madrid-Rome double.
Swiatek’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Qualifier | H2H: N/A
- R2: Lucia Bronzetti | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Veronika Kudermetova [29] | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-1
- R4: Ekaterina Alexandrova [16] | H2H: Swiatek leads 3-2
- QF: Marketa Vondrousova [5] | H2H: Swiatek leads 3-0
- SF: Coco Gauff [3] | H2H: Swiatek leads 10-1
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Swiatek leads 8-3
After facing a qualifier in the opening round, Swiatek could have a blockbuster second round clash against Naomi Osaka. A tricky match against Marie Bouzkova could prepare her well for another Czech battle against former champion Barbora Krejcikova in the last 16. In the quarter-finals Swiatek could take on former finalist Marketa Vondrousova or more likely the in-form Danielle Collins who is taking on her farewell tour. A spectacle against her rivals could make for sensational viewing in the last two round but ultimately Swiatek’s imperious form suggests the Pole could dominate this event once again.
[2] Aryna Sabalenka
Best Result: Semi-Final (2023)
After losing two contrasting finals to Swiatek, Sabalenka will aim to go one better than last year and once again test the Pole at the biggest stage of them all.
Sabalenka’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Erika Andreeva | H2H: First Meeting
- R2: Qualifier | H2H: N/A
- R3: Katie Boulter [26] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-0
- R4: Madison Keys [14] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
- QF: Maria Sakkari [6] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 7-3
- SF: Elena Rybakina [4] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 6-3
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 8-3
Sabalenka should cruise through her opening two rounds but one of Katie Boulter, Paula Badosa, Yulia Putintseva or former finalist Sloane Stephens will provide a very stern test in the third round. Should Sabalenka progress to the last 16 then the in-form Madison Keys would await before the Australian Open faces Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals. Given her current form Sabalenka should make her first Roland Garros final but in the past she has proved more than capable of stumbling early on and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the same happened here given her draw.
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[3] Coco Gauff
Best Result: Final (2022)
There were encouraging signs for Gauff in Rome but ultimately it has been disappointing clay court swing for the American as she looks to reach her second Roland Garros final.
Gauff’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Qualifier | H2H: N/A
- R2: Alison Van Uytvanck | H2H: Gauff leads 1-0
- R3: Dayana Yastremska [30] | H2H: Gauff leads 1-0
- R4: Beatriz Haddad Maia [13] | H2H: First Meeting
- QF: Ons Jabeur [8] | H2H: Gauff leads 4-2
- SF: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 10-1
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Gauff leads 4-3
Gauff has a kind first week but the former finalist will be rather dreading the second week with Beatriz Haddad Maia, Ons Jabeur and former champion Jelena Ostapenko all capable of an upset. In general Gauff has a good draw and is capable of reaching another semi-final in Paris but the American has a better chance of winning the lottery than beating Swiatek at Roland Garros, so a semi-final will be a success for the American once again.
[4] Elena Rybakina
Best Result: Quarter-Final (2021)
Despite withdrawing from Rome, Rybakina has had an extremely good clay court season and will feel confident of producing her best performance in Paris this year.
Rybakina’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Greet Minnen | H2H: Rybakina leads 2-0
- R2: Arantxa Rus | H2H: Tied at 1-1
- R3: Elise Mertens [25] | H2H: Rybakina leads 4-1
- R4: Elina Svitolina [15] | H2H: Svitolina leads 2-1
- QF: Qinwen Zheng [7] | H2H: Rybakina leads 2-0
- SF: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 6-3
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Rybakina leads 4-2
Rybakina will begin her campaign against two capable clay court players in the form of Greet Minnen and Arantxa Rus although Angelique Kerber is also a potential second round opponent. A potential last 16 tie against Elina Svitolina could cause Rybakina a lot of problems in what is a manageable quarter of the draw. The Kazakh will need to be at her best on serve if she is to go deep at Roland Garros but it will be a tough ask given the amount of accurate returners in her section of the draw.
Roland Garros starts on the 26th of May and concludes on the 9th of June.
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