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The women's singles draw for the 2024 French Open (May 26-June 9) was unveiled on Thursday, May 23. We are in for two weeks of high-octane tennis action.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the top seed and is in spectacular form, having just won two WTA 1000 titles on clay: the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. She will now aim for her fourth trophy at Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova round up the top-five. Each of these women is a Grand Slam champion and could challenge Swiatek and hinder her quest.
There are many exciting first-round matches lined up, including an all-American clash between Danielle Collins and Caroline Dolehide, Paula Badosa vs Katie Boulter and Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova.
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With that in mind, let's delve into how the women's singles draw of the French Open might unfold over the next fortnight.
First Quarter: Iga Swiatek looks to defend her French Open title
Seeded Players: (1) Iga Swiatek, (5) Marketa Vondrousova, (11) Danielle Collins, (16) Ekaterina Alexandrova, (18) Marta Kostyuk, (24) Barbora Krejcikova, (29) Veronika Kudermetova, (32) Katerina Siniakova
Expected Quarterfinal: Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins
Dark Horse: Naomi Osaka
The star of this quarter is undoubtedly the defending champion Iga Swiatek, who enters the tournament in excellent form after winning two WTA 1000 titles on clay. Given that the red dirt has been her most successful surface, Swiatek will look to capitalize on every opportunity to reign supreme here once again.
The World No. 1 begins her 2024 French Open campaign against either a qualifier or a lucky loser. However, her toughest test could come as early as the second round, where she might face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Osaka, who returned to tennis in 2024 after giving birth to her daughter Shai, has had a mixed season. While clay isn't typically her best surface, her recent performance in the Italian Open, where she reached the fourth round, suggests that she could pose a threat.
If Swiatek beats Osaka and reaches the third round, she could face Veronika Kudermetova, which might be followed by a fourth-round encounter with the 2021 tournament champion Barbora Krejcikova. Both challenges are relatively manageable for Swiatek, so she should advance to the quarterfinals without too much difficulty.
Danielle Collins could await Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. The American has been in excellent form since announcing her retirement in January, including winning her maiden WTA 1000 title in Miami.
Despite Collins' impressive performance, Swiatek's prowess on clay might give her the upper hand in what's likely to be a hard-fought match, allowing her to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Quarterfinal Prediction: Swiatek def. Collins
Second Quarter: Coco Gauff hopes for a reversal of fortunes in Paris
Seeded Players: (3) Coco Gauff, (8) Ons Jabeur, (9) Jelena Ostapenko, (13) Beatriz Haddad Maia, (17) Liudmila Samsonova, (21) Caroline Garcia, (30) Dayana Yastremska, (31) Leylah Fernandez
Expected Quarterfinal: Coco Gauff vs Jelena Ostapenko
Dark Horse: Sofia Kenin
Third seed Coco Gauff is in this quarter and will aim to turn her fortunes around at Roland Garros, having reached the final in 2022, losing to Swiatek.
Gauff's form in 2024 has been a mixed bag. She won the ASB Classic in January and reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Italian Open. She also made it to the quarterfinals in Dubai and Stuttgart.
The American will start her campaign against either a qualifier or a lucky loser, followed by a match against Alison Van Uytvanck.
In the third round, she might face Dayana Yastremska, who reached the semifinals of the Melbourne Major and is expected to put up a tough fight. If the 20-year-old beats Yastremska, she will likely encounter either Liudmila Samsonova or Beatriz Haddad Maia in the next round.
Eighth seed and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is the next highest seed after Gauff in this quarter. The Tunisian will start her campaign against Sachia Vickery, with potential clashes against Anhelina Kalinina and Leylah Fernandez in the next two rounds.
While Jabeur has a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals, she might falter against ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round.
Quarterfinal Prediction: Gauff def. Ostapenko
Third Quarter: Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen could lock horns in QF
Seeded Players: (4) Elena Rybakina, (7) Zheng Qinwen, (12) Jasmine Paolini, (15) Elina Svitolina, (20) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, (23) Anna Kalinskaya, (25) Elise Mertens, (28) Sorana Cirstea
Expected Quarterfinal: Elena Rybakina vs Zheng Qinwen
Dark Horse: Bianca Andreescu
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina will enter the French Open on the back of a withdrawal from the Italian Open, where she was the defending champion. However, she has had notable successes this season, winning three titles, one of which came on clay.
Rybakina will commence her campaign against Greet Minnen. Angelique Kerber is likely to be her second-round opponent, with Elise Mertens and Elina Svitolina being her third and fourth-round foes, respectively.
Zheng Qinwen, the other top-10 seed in this quarter, could pose a significant challenge to Rybakina if she is performing at her best. The 2024 Australian Open finalist will start her campaign against wildcard Alize Cornet in the first round, followed by a match against Ashlyn Krueger. A potential third-round clash with Sorana Cirstea and a fourth-round encounter against Jasmine Paolini are on the cards for the Chinese.
Another player to keep an eye on in this section is Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian is making a comeback to the sport after a long hiatus and will begin her campaign against Sara Sorribes Tormo. While Andreescu may not be poised to make a deep run, she won't go down without a fight against any opponent she faces.
In the last-eight, it will likely come down to Rybakina and Zheng with the 2022 Wimbledon champion coming out on top.
Quarterfinal Prediction: Rybakina def. Zheng
Fourth Quarter: Aryna Sabalenka aims for maiden Roland Garros title
Seeded Players: (2) Aryna Sabalenka, (6) Maria Sakkari, (10) Daria Kasatkina, (14) Madison Keys, (19) Victoria Azarenka, (22) Emma Navarro (26) Katie Boulter, (27) Linda Noskova
Expected Quarterfinal: Aryna Sabalenka vs Daria Kasatkina
Dark Horse: Paula Badosa
Aryna Sabalenka enters Roland Garros as the second seed, seeking to avenge her losses to Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open and Italian Open finals. The Belarusian defended her Australian Open title earlier this year and despite a brief dip in form, she regained her footing during the clay season.
Sabalenka's campaign kicks off against Mirra Andreeva's sister Erika in the opening round, followed by a second-round matchup against either a qualifier or a lucky loser.
In the next round, the 26-year-old could face her close friend Paula Badosa or Sloane Stephens, with a potential fourth-round showdown awaiting against Madison Keys.
On the opposite side of the section is sixth seed Maria Sakkari. She opens her campaign against Varvara Gracheva in the first round, followed by a match against Bernarda Pera. Subsequently, the Greek could face Linda Noskova, with her fourth-round opponent potentially being Daria Kasatkina.
Kasatkina is a tenacious competitor who may not easily succumb to Sakkari and set up a quarterfinal showdown against Sabalenka.
Quarterfinal Prediction: Sabalenka def. Kasatkina
Semifinal predictions
Iga Swiatek def. Coco Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka def. Elena Rybakina
Prediction for the final
Aryna Sabalenka def. Iga Swiatek
