WTA French Open Roland Garros 2025: Watch out for these five dark horse picks on clay

As Roland Garros begins on Sunday morning, we take a look at the potential French Open players to watch with five dark horses to keep an eye on over the next fortnight.

While not exactly an open book, the WTA draw sees Aryna Sabalenka as the leading light with Coco Gauff just behind. A champion in Iga Swiatek who is in turmoil of sorts having had a relatively poor season.

She goes into Roland Garros not being the out and out favourite for the first time in many years while Jessica Pegula has tailed off after being one of the top stars on the tour throughout the spring.

Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini among others are bound to figure but what about five more top stars who could be in the reckoning and why.

This one perhaps goes without saying and maybe isn't that much of a dark horse pick. Elina Svitolina has been one of the best players in women's tennis this clay court season.

She won Rouen, reached the semi-finals in Madrid and then the Quarter-Finals in Rome and in reality perhaps should've beaten Peyton Stearns. She then was set to play Strasbourg where she is two-time champion but withdrew likely to get a rest before Roland Garros.

At the age of 30 and during motherhood, Svitolina perhaps is at the peak of her powers. She reached the Quarter-Finals on her return in 2023 and the fourth round last year. She sits on the cusp of the top 10 again and faces Zeynep Sonmez irst. She could face Donna Vekic as the first seed on her quest and sits in the Jasmine Paolini section.

This is perhaps based on previous reputation over current form. Karolina Muchova abit like Jessica Pegula missed last clay court season and was very much begging to return to the top 10 as a result.

But she has barely played with injury and illness playing the much loved former finalist in Paris. The 28-year-old reached the semi-finals of Linz and Dubai after the return of a lifetime last year where she lost in the last four of the US Open to Jessica Pegula.

A match where she wasn't 100% so perhaps could've made another Grand Slam final out of. After that Dubai run, she was thrashed by Swiatek in Indian Wells, lost to Svitolina in Miami then didn't play Madrid or Rome so hasn't played since March.

She opens up against Alycia Parks then could face Maria Sakkari. Two tough tests on paper but one that likely unlocks the draw for her and given Sakkari's fragility in Grand Slams in particular could be a kind return for the 14th seed. A player never to write off with pure quality even when she has barely played.

Onto a few players who have shown form during recent past. Emma Raducanu likely already has one eye on the grass court season with Queen's and Berlin up first.

She plays Xinyu Wang then with Swiatek now fifth seed gets that conundrum to face and then even if she shocks her it could be a section that faces Marta Kostyuk then Elena Rybakina in the latter stages.

But under new coach Mark Petchey, Raducanu has thrived. She lost to Danielle Collins from a set up in Strasbourg but prior to that Last 16 in Rome, loss to an in-form Kostyuk in Madrid and then a Quarter-Final in Miami.

Not bad for a player widely panned for not reaching her potential by sections of the media being a former Grand Slam champion. It has taken time but Raducanu seems to be fitter, stronger and more adept to the task. She has managed to play well on clay when last season, she skipped it to mainly go straight onto grass.

While she has the option of course to have Petchey for the whole of the grass court season so perhaps has one eye on that, a good run in Paris might not be out of the realms of possibility.

While onto Peyton Stearns who perhaps should've reached the final of Rome losing to eventual champion Jasmine Paolini.

The American who won Rabat last year lived up to her moniker on social media of being a dawg in Italy. She came through a lot of tough tests and iron sharpens iron. She faces Eva Lys today.

A real moment for the rising German who has usually had to go through qualifying to get into the main draw. But rising Canadian Victoria Mboko awaits if she gets through that likely. It is then maybe Zheng Qinwen who could ace Alexandra Eala in the second round.

While the Chinese ace will be heavily favoured, she has showed middling form all season and for somebody like Stearns, it could yet be another good run. She moved up to World No.28 last week and after hovering around the top 60 for over a year is starting to break out. Can she bring that dawg with her to Paris? Preferbly without being sick behind an umpire's chair.

Then finally perhaps one of the best players not really to be in the conversation during this clay court season is Marta Kostyuk.

After having to pull out of Billie Jean King Cup duty injured, Kostyuk has been effortlessly sublime and has only lost to top players. The 22-year-old lost to Sabalenka in Rome in the Last 16.

She also lost to her in the Quarter-Finals in Madrid and prior to that two Last 16's in the Sunshine Double. A player hitting traction at the right time.

She faces Sara Bejlek on Sunday. Then likely Jaqueline Cristina or it could be Kimberly Birrell. Watch out too as if she gets through, it could be that she ends the reign of Queen of Clay Iga Swiatek or if not maybe beats Emma Raducanu again so either way the cards favour Kostyuk in Paris. A good run awaits? We think so.