The French Open women’s draw is shaping up to be one of the most open and exciting in years. World number one Aryna Sabalenka is chasing her first ever Grand SlaGauffm title on clay, defending champion Coco Gauff is looking to retain her crown, and four-time champion Iga Swiatek is hoping to rediscover her best form. There is no clear favourite, which makes it all the more fascinating.
Sabalenka has a tricky first-round match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but her section of the draw looks relatively kind overall. Naomi Osaka could be a fourth-round opponent, though the Japanese player has never been at her most dangerous on clay. Sabalenka is expected to reach the quarter-finals with relative comfort, where she is predicted to face Jessica Pegula.
Gauff has also landed in a favourable part of the draw. Taylor Townsend is an entertaining first-round match, and Anastasia Potapova could cause a surprise in round three, but nothing looks too daunting for the champion. Amanda Anisimova is a serious threat in the same section, having reached Grand Slam finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year, though she has struggled for form and fitness in 2026. Gauff is tipped to reach the semi-finals regardless of who she faces in the quarters.
Swiatek has been handed a much tougher route. The Pole has not been at her sharpest recently and has shown signs of improvement under new coach Francisco Roig, but her draw is a real concern. Jelena Ostapenko, who has an extraordinary 6-0 head-to-head record against Swiatek, could await her as early as the third round. Recent WTA 1000 champions Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina are also in her section. Svitolina, who won the title in Rome recently and will have strong crowd backing as the wife of French favourite Gael Monfils, is tipped to come through this quarter and reach the semi-finals.
Elena Rybakina is the favourite to emerge from the fourth section, but she faces stiff competition. Mirra Andreeva has been in excellent form on clay, Karolina Muchova is a former French Open finalist, Sorana Cirstea is playing some of the best tennis of her career at 36, and Hailey Baptiste made headlines recently by beating Sabalenka in Madrid. Rybakina, who won the Australian Open earlier this year and has arguably been the best player in the world in 2026, is expected to come through and reach her first ever French Open final.
The predicted semi-finals are Gauff over Sabalenka and Rybakina over Svitolina. In the final, Gauff is tipped to retain her title. She was hugely impressive in Rome despite losing the final to Svitolina, and clay remains her best surface. Her athleticism, defensive skills and improved serve make her incredibly difficult to beat. She beat Sabalenka in last year’s final and is expected to go back-to-back in Paris.
