French Open 2024 Draw: Naomi Osaka's projected path to the final ft. potential 2R showdown with Iga Swiatek and SF with Coco Gauff

Naomi Osaka is playing at Roland Garros next week for the first time since 2022. The Japanese hasn't gone past the third round of the tournament in her six career appearances at the tournament.

Osaka hasn't received a kind draw in Paris at all. The former World No. 1 will have to fight past multiple Major-winning players if she intends to reach her first Major final outside hardcourts.

On that note, let's take a look at Naomi Osaka's potential opponents at Roland Garros this year:

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Naomi Osaka's 1R opponent - Lucia Bronzetti

Osaka has enjoyed a respectable comeback season in 2024

Naomi Osaka opens her campaign against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti. While the four-time Major winner has yet to win a claycourt title, the World No. 48 won her first title on the surface in Rabat last year.

Osaka has never met Bronzetti on the WTA Tour, making their first-round clash at the French Open one to watch out for. The 26-year-old will have to be at the top of her game to get past the Italian.

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Naomi Osaka's likely 2R opponent - Iga Swiatek

Swiatek beat Osaka to win Miami Open 2022

Osaka will renew her rivalry with World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, provided she reaches the second round in Paris. Swiatek has been the player to beat on the dirt since the beginning of the 2020s, with three French Open titles to her name.

The Pole also picked up both of this year's claycourt WTA 1000 titles. While both players have split their last two meetings, the top seed comes into the match as an overwhelming favorite.

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Naomi Osaka's likely 3R opponent - Veronika Kudermetova

Osaka withdrew from second round of French Open 2021 due to issues with media

Should Naomi Osaka somehow beat Iga Swiatek, she will face 29th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova for a place in the fourth round. The former World No. 1 will achieve her career-best result at the French Open, provided she wins the match.

Kudermetova was ranked inside the women's top 10 in 2022, but has not been able to replicate the same form this year. The Russian is still a top 30 player, though, and also won her only career meeting with the Japanese at the 2022 Miami Open.

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Naomi Osaka's likely 4R opponent - Barbora Krejcikova/Ekaterina Alexandrova

Osaka has reached third round at Roland Garros three times

Osaka will face either 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova or 16th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, if she reaches the second week in Paris. While Krejcikova has a good aptitude for claycourts, Alexandrova prefers faster surfaces.

The four-time Major winner has only faced Krejcikova on one occasion when the latter was not a top player in 2017. Alexandrova, on the other hand, has never met the Japanese on the pro tour. Both prospective opponents will give Osaka stiff resistance for a quarterfinal spot.

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Naomi Osaka's likely QF opponent - Marketa Vondrousova/Danielle Collins

Collins defeated Osaka at the 2022 US Open

Reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open will be a tough task for Naomi Osaka, considering she is still finding her groove. The going doesn't get any easier for her if she reaches the last eight, as she is projected to face either World No. 6 Marketa Vondrousova or the in-form Danielle Collins.

Vondrousova won last year's Wimbledon against all odds, having established herself as a top player since then. Collins, on her part, has also made a foray into the top rungs of the WTA Tour at the age of 30, thanks to her title run in Miami and a semifinal result in Rome. Osaka has never met either player on claycourts, which means she will be in for a unique match-up should she run into them.

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Naomi Osaka's likely SF opponent - Coco Gauff/Ons Jabeur

Osaka and Gauff pose before an exhibition match

If Osaka gets this far, either the reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff or eighth-seeded Ons Jabeur await her in the semifinals. Both Gauff and Jabeur are significantly better on clay than the former World No. 1.

While the American reached the French Open final two years ago, the Tunisian won her only WTA 1000 title at the 2022 Madrid Open. Although the Japanese is tied with Gauff 2-2 and leads Jabeur in their head-to-head meetings, she hasn't met either player on clay in her career. Thus, overcoming these match-ups will be a daunting task for her.

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Naomi Osaka's likely final opponent - Aryna Sabalenka/Elena Rybakina

Osaka and Sabalenka at an exhibition event

Naomi Osaka should take excessive pride in her campaign in Paris if she reaches the summit clash. The reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 4 Elena Rybakina are her projected opponents for the French Open title.

Both Sabalenka and Rybakina have enjoyed good results during this year's European claycourt swing. Osaka has met only Sabalenka in the past, having beaten her in three sets en route to her maiden Major triumph at the 2018 US Open. She will be in for her second toughest match (after second-round affair with Swiatek), provided she navigates past her first six opponents.