Roland-Garros preview, French Open, women’s draw analysis, Iga Swiatek

Matt Trollope is a journalist for Tennis Australia, which has contributed this piece

Iga Swiatek may turn into the primary girl in additional than 100 years to win four-straight Roland-Garros titles. However along with her rivals sensing vulnerability, we may see a brand new champion topped in Paris.

Swiatek’s dominance on clay, particularly at Roland-Garros, has made her virtually a lock for the French title lately.

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However this time she arrives in Paris in a type droop, and considerably startlingly shall be seeded exterior the highest 4.

After dropping within the third spherical in Rome, the place she was the defending champion, Swiatek fell to world No.5 – her lowest rating in additional than three years.

She has additionally did not win a title since Roland-Garros final 12 months. It’s a must to return to 2019, the 12 months of her tour-level debut, to discover a interval when Swiatek went 12 months with out hoisting a trophy.

Nonetheless, she is aware of higher than anybody methods to get it achieved within the French capital.

A winner of 4 of the previous 5 editions and the three-time defending champion, Swiatek may turn into the primary girl in additional than 100 years to win 4 in a row. The final to take action was French legend Suzanne Lenglen in 1923.

Swiatek has hoarded French titles to such an extent that there are solely two different girls competing immediately – Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova – who’ve additionally received the occasion.

Stan Sport is the house of grand slam tennis and the place to observe each match of the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Roland-Garros and US Open

So, will we see a brand new Roland-Garros girls’s singles champion, or will Swiatek rediscover her successful methods at her favorite match?

Sam Stosur, a Roland-Garros finalist in 2010 who reached one other three semi finals, says both risk is believable.

“I believe the opposite prime gamers and contenders individuals is likely to be speaking about for the title are like: ‘Oh, this is our time’,” Stosur informed ausopen.com.

“We all know what she’s achieved however she’s not enjoying like that proper now; she’s been struggling, hasn’t received a title, and so on. You would be like, ‘That is my finest probability in all probability within the final 4 or 5 years to have the ability to do this.

“Given the participant she is, the champion she’s been, she’s received a number of grand slams and been No.1 – Iga does have a variety of expertise to now assume: ‘OK, that’s what I’ve received to now lean on going into this 12 months’s French Open, as a result of I’ve confirmed time and time once more that I can win it.

“So if she’s ever going to really feel good, it is gotta be coming now. She has to consider it as a optimistic that she’s had the outcomes at Roland-Garros, and never the opposite method round.

“However I’d say many of the area are considering: ‘Nah, that is our alternative right here’.”

So, who has the most effective alternative? Stosur believes 5 gamers stand out.

Aryna Sabalenka

The world No.1 is more and more dominant, having already reached six finals in 2025 and successful three – Brisbane, Miami and Madrid.

She’s 11-2 on clay this 12 months – she reached the Stuttgart remaining and Rome quarters both facet of her Madrid triumph – and is now nearly 4,000 rating factors forward of second-ranked Coco Gauff.

Since 2021 Sabalenka has been the sport’s most constant performer on the majors, reaching 10 semi finals, 5 finals and successful three titles, most not too long ago the 2024 US Open.

She’s additionally come extremely shut in Paris, dropping to Karolina Muchova from match level up within the 2023 semi finals, then final 12 months struggling an illness-affected quarterfinal loss to Mirra Andreeva.

Stosur described these moments as “little blips” that simply occurred to come back at enormous moments for her. “I do not see that occuring once more,” she stated.

“As every year’s gone on, she’s turn into extra dominant, she’s received a number of slams now, so it is form of apparent that she’s received that have and backing behind her.

“One factor that she all the time does is bounce again so nicely, and I discover it arduous to consider that we will see that type of snap from her once more this 12 months.

“I believe she’s going to be extraordinarily robust. There is not any purpose why she will be able to’t win Roland-Garros; she’s received an enormous recreation. I do not assume there’re as many clay-court specialists; I believe everybody can play on it.

“I shall be to see how the following couple of weeks go, and play out along with her and Gauff.”

Coco Gauff

One of many large beneficiaries of Swiatek’s rating fall, Gauff takes the No.2-seeded place on the reverse finish of the draw to Sabalenka, which means they will solely meet within the remaining.

The final time they met in a significant remaining, Gauff upset Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open, however expressed shock her first grand slam title was in New York – she all the time imagined it could come at Roland-Garros.

The closest she received in Paris was the 2022 remaining, the place she was overwhelmed by Swiatek. However she’s wrested management of the match-up and received their previous three conferences in straight units, together with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing within the current Madrid semi finals.

“It was fairly attention-grabbing to see that end result and the way it appeared like Iga dealt with it, and every part was a bit stunning, actually. It was actually uncommon, given their previous historical past,” Stosur stated.

“Coco making back-to-back finals [in Madrid and Rome] is certainly a giant increase in her 12 months, as a result of she hadn’t been unimaginable, I believe that is truthful to say, proper? Final couple of weeks, she’s managed to show that round.”

Certainly, Gauff heads to Paris having received 10 of her previous 12 matches on clay.

Jasmine Paolini

The final of these matches was a loss within the Rome remaining to Italy’s Paolini, a shocking triumph that electrified followers on the Foro Italico whereas reminding everybody of her clay-court credentials.

Final 12 months at Roland-Garros Paolini powered into her first main remaining, then reached the Wimbledon remaining to determine herself as a shiny new star.

Again inside the highest 4, she’ll be trying to repeat her Parisian feat and go one higher.

“Paolini successful Rome, plus the doubles – that is a heck of an effort,” Stosur stated.

“I would not have stated going into this 12 months, ‘OK Paolini could make a few grand slam finals once more’… however she’s simply performed at an occasion [Rome] the place everybody’s enjoying, and she or he’s gone and received it, with that hometown feeling.

“That is enormous for her going into Roland-Garros now, making an attempt to again up a finals look.”

Mirra Andreeva

Teenage star Andreeva has risen to a career-high rating of world No.6 however is third within the Race to the WTA Finals after an excellent season.

Already in 2025, the 18-year-old has scooped WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells and continues so as to add to her recreation as she grows – actually – and matures.

Beating Sabalenka in final 12 months’s Roland-Garros quarter finals despatched her by means of to her first grand slam semi remaining, but Stosur believes the strain may go up a notch for her in Paris this 12 months.

“She’s been in in all probability the type of the 12 months, actually,” Stosur stated.

“I do know this 12 months she’s been exceptionally good and we have seen enhancements in all components of her recreation. Now that is type of the primary time the place she’s going right into a match and persons are perhaps speaking about her.

“It might be a extremely attention-grabbing couple of weeks for her, with all of these parts. It is not nearly hitting tennis balls and enjoying tennis, now; if she permits these different issues to perhaps enter her ideas, how does she deal with that?

“She’s received a wonderful individual along with her in Conchita Martinez to deal with that facet of issues, and I’ve actually loved seeing their partnership develop.

“This can in all probability be one of many largest exams that they’ve had thus far.”

Zheng Qinwen

Stosur stated she would “throw a spanner within the works” by mentioning Qinwen’s identify among the many favourites.

“The final time anybody performed at Roland-Garros was the Olympics, the place she received gold,” Stosur identified.

“It was anticipated that Iga would in all probability win gold there and she or he ended up with bronze. Even simply speaking about psyche, going again to a spot the place you’ve got been so dominant, however the final end result she had there was in all probability fairly disappointing. You simply by no means know the place gamers maintain that type of stuff months and months later.

“On the flipside, for Qinwen successful gold, gosh, you are gonna really feel fairly good going again there.”

Zheng, the AO 2024 finalist, might not have lit up the early components of 2025 in the identical method, however she’s quietly constructed a strong report, reaching back-to-back quarter finals at Indian Wells and Miami and sustaining her place within the prime 10.

Since switching to clay, she made one other quarter remaining in Charleston, then pushed Gauff to the restrict in a compelling Rome semi remaining.

“She’s had an excellent end result final week,” Stosur stated, “and on the final type of minute perhaps places her hand as much as say: ‘grasp on, I am nonetheless right here, you guys, I am nonetheless round’.”