How the winners of Italian Open in the past decade did at the French Open: What does history say about chances of Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros 2024?

Iga Swiatek of Poland won her fourth WTA 1000 title of the year by defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3 in the Italian Open final on Saturday (May 18). The Pole had also won titles in Doha, Indian Wells and Madrid earlier and remains the odds-on favorite to win the French Open, which gets underway on May 26.

---

Most of the Italian Open winners have not done very well at the French Open during the past decade

The conditions at the Italian Open are quite similar to that at the French Open. The conditions at Madrid Open are considerably faster because of the elevation there, but such is not the case in Rome. Moreover, the two tournaments are held just a week apart.

Hence, the winner of the Italian Open should ideally have a great chance of attaining glory at Roland Garros too. However, in reality, this has not been the case in women’s tennis during the past decade. There have only been a couple of players since 2013 -- Serena Williams in 2013 and Iga Swiatek in 2022 -- who have managed to win both the Italian Open and French Open titles in the same year.

Maria Sharapova, who enjoyed a rich vein of form from 2010 to 2015, won three Italian Open and two French Open titles during that period. However, she could achieve the “double” only in 2012. Williams was her prime competitor on clay during this period.

The American's French Open title triumphs (in 2013 and 2015) came in different years from the ones at the Italian Open (in 2013, 2014 and 2016) except for 2013.

Then there is Elina Svitolina, who won back-to-back Italian Open titles in 2017 and 2018 but failed to replicate the success at Roland Garros. Elena Rybakina won the title in Rome last year but failed to win the French Open.

On the other hand, there have also been a few one-time winners like Simona Halep, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza, and Ashleigh Barty at Roland Garros during the past decade. Except Halep, none of them managed to win the Italian Open and Halep also did it in a different year.

---

Iga Swiatek should be able to achieve the treble this year

Swiatek is the dominant player among women at the moment, especially on clay. She has won three French Open titles and also managed to win three Italian Open titles during this period.

There is no reason why she cannot achieve the double once again this year. It would be a big surprise if she is not able to do it. As she has also won the Madrid Open title this year, it will actually be a treble for her should she win in Paris next month. It remains to be seen whether she is able to achieve the remarkable feat.