Women's projected French Open quarter-finals including Swiatek – Vondrousova and Sabalenka - Zheng

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.

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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.

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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.

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