The women’s
French Open main draw has been revealed, marking the path that the top
contenders will have to navigate to the title.
Iga Swiatek emerges as the
leading favorite to claim her fourth title at
Roland Garros, while Sabalenka
and Rybakina loom as the major contenders.
With the
draw set, let's take a look at the potential quarterfinal matchups featuring
the top 8 seeded players, so you can follow the favorites' paths in detail.
First
Quarter
Undoubtedly, the Polish player is the top favorite for the title as a
2-time defending champion and the recent back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the
Madrid Open and
Rome Open. Roland Garros is where Swiatek brings her best game,
and she's probably the player everyone hoped to avoid. A potential quarterfinal
matchup could see her facing the 8th seed
Marketa Vondrousova.
The former
Wimbledon champion deflated in the clay swing after reaching the semifinals of
the Stuttgart Open, barely making it to the Round of 32 in Madrid and Rome.
Swiatek also dominates the head-to-head by 3-0 without dropping a set against
the Czech.
Second
Quarter
The second quarterfinals could feature the third seed
Coco Gauff
against
Ons Jabeur. The American found good form in Rome, with victories over
Paula Badosa and
Zheng Qinwen on her way to the semifinals, although she
couldn't do much against Swiatek and was eliminated by 6-4, 6-4. As for Jabeur,
she's in her worst streak in recent years.
The Tunisian has a poor record of
6-9 this year and has managed to stay in the top 8 thanks to the points earned
in the latter part of 2023. Jabeur is only ranked No. 45 in the Race, although
she's always dangerous in a Grand Slam, considering she reached three finals in
her last 7 appearances in Slam main draws.
Coco Gauff reached the final in 2022 but she lost against Swiatek.
Third
Quarter
Elena Rybakina is the 4th seed of the draw, and in the quarterfinals,
she could cross paths with the former French Open semifinalist
Maria Sakkari.
The Kazakh has been eliminated in the third round of the French Open for the
past two years and has had physical problems in recent months. Nevertheless,
every time she has stepped on the court, she has shown that she has the weapons
to go deep in tournaments, with three titles won in 5 finals so far this year.
Sakkari, on the other hand, has a 7-3 record in the clay swing, although she
lost in all three of her matches against top-15 players. Against
Rybakina, she has a head-to-head of 1-3 and is barely defending the points from
the first round last year when she was surprised by the eventual finalist
Karolina Muchova.
Fourth Quarter
The last part of the draw features Aryna
Sabalenka as the main favorite after two consecutive finals in WTA 1000,
although she fell to the world No. 1 Swiatek in both. In the quarterfinals, she
could face a familiar opponent: the finalist of the last
Australian Open, Zheng
Qinwen.
The Chinese player had physical problems that forced her to retire in
her debut in Madrid, but in Rome, she had good victories before falling in the
quarterfinals. The Chinese hasn't had great results on clay, although she was
one of the surprises in 2022, reaching the fourth round of the French Open and
being the only player to steal a set from Swiatek on her way to the title.