From Coco Gauff to Danielle Collins, predicting how far the Americans will go at French Open this year

The 2024 French Open is already upon us, and the tour's leading stars have assembled in Paris to get down and dirty on the red dirt. American women haven't tasted much success at the venue in recent years, with only two players walking away as the victors since the dawn of the new century.

Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati are the only American women to lift the winner's trophy in Paris since 2000. The former won three titles, with the most recent one being in 2015, while the latter triumphed in 2001.

A few Americans did come quite close to winning the title but faltered at the last hurdle. Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, and Sloane Stephens all finished as runner-ups over the last six years.

However, a few American women are in great form heading into this year's French Open. Here's a look at the prospects of the top five ranked Americans who could make a deep run at the tournament:

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#1 - Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff is the third seed at the French Open.

Gauff, the highest-ranked American woman, will be favored to make a deep run. She's a former finalist at the French Open, going down to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final. She has made at least the quarterfinals in Paris in the last three years.

Gauff has a relatively smooth ride until the fourth round, after which things get a little tricky for her. She could face last year's semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia in the fourth round, followed by either Ons Jabeur or Jelena Ostapenko in the last eight.

The American's run could come to an end in the semifinals, where she's likely to meet Swiatek. With the rivalry leaning 10-1 in the Pole's favor, it will be an uphill battle for Gauff to make it past this stage, especially with the World No. 1 on the other side of the net.

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#2 - Danielle Collins

Danielle Collins at the 2024 Miami Open.

Collins is a woman on a mission these days. She's determined to go out on a high and is making the most out of her swansong. She has been on a roll since mid-March, starting with her title-winning runs in Miami and Charleston.

The American's unbeaten run came to an end in the fourth round of the Madrid Open against Aryna Sabalenka. She lost to her once again in the semifinals of the Italian Open. She continued her good run of form at the Strasbourg Open, where she will fight for a spot in the final on Friday evening (May 24). She's back into the top 10 as well thanks to her recent results.

Collins' best result at the French Open was making the quarterfinals back in 2020. Given her draw and form this year, she seems like a lock to make the last eight once again.

She could face Swiatek in the quarterfinals, who is one of two players to beat her over the last couple of months. The Pole is a tough opponent to beat on clay, especially in Paris but the American is no pushover and could pull off an upset.

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#3 - Madison Keys

Madison Keys at the 2024 Italian Open.

Keys' recent resurgence on clay has certainly boosted her odds of a good showing at the French Open. She made the semifinals in Madrid and followed it up with a quarterfinal showing in Rome. She's into the semifinals of the Strasbourg Open as well and will take on Liudmila Samsonova for a spot in the title round on Friday (May 24).

Keys is a former semifinalist at the French Open, reaching the last four in 2018. While she is in good form, her draw is rather tricky this time. She could meet fellow American Emma Navarro in the third round, with a fourth-round date with Sabalenka looming after that.

The Belarusian eliminated Keys twice from the Majors last year, knocking her out in the semifinals of the US Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Sabalenka is in great form herself, and could once again send the American on her way home.

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#4 - Emma Navarro

Emma Navarro at the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier.

While Navarro performed well at the start of the season, she has flown under the radar the last couple of months. That's because she hasn't done much on clay, compiling a 3-4 record on the surface at the WTA level. She did reach a final on clay at a WTA 125 tournament.

Navarro reached the second round of the French Open on her debut last year, and given her draw this time, she could go a round further at best. She's likely to bump into the in-form Keys in the third round, who could send her packing.

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#5 - Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens at the 2024 Brisbane International.

Stephens started the clay swing on a strong note by winning the title in Rouen. She couldn't sustain the momentum and her results got progressively worse with every tournament. She lost in the third round of the Madrid Open, the second round of the Italian Open, and the first round of the Strasbourg Open.

However, regardless of her form before the French Open, Stephens somehow gets her act together to do well in Paris. She has made at least the fourth round in nine of her 12 appearances here. She reached the final in 2018, and the quarterfinals in 2019 and 2022.

Stephens could find it tough to maintain that streak this year. She faces Yulia Putintseva in her opener, who beat her 6-3, 6-2 in Rome. Paula Badosa awaits her in the second round, who's a tough opponent on clay. Should she make it through this round, she could face Sabalenka.

Given Stephens' overall inconsistency but good record at the French Open, it's tough to say how she will fare here. She's definitely in danger of losing early given the quality of her opposition this time.

Aside from these five women, American youngsters like Peyton Stearns and Ashlyn Krueger could make an impact as well. Taylor Townsend is always a dangerous floater, and Sofia Kenin could do some damage if she rediscovers her form. It wouldn't be surprising to see at least two women from the US in the quarterfinals of the French Open this year.