The French Open crown is up for grabs: Gauff, Sabalenka and Paolini eye Swiatek’s throne in Paris

One of the most thrilling clay-court swings of recent years is coming to an end in Paris, where the French Open is set to start on May 25th. But first, WTA stars learned their destiny in the draw, which brought some interesting surprises. As four-time champion Iga Swiatek arrives with uncertainty in her game, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff lead the pack of contenders, which includes Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva, who are looking for a first win at Roland Garros.

While Swiatek, who dropped from No. 2 to No. 5, has struggled to win a title or reach a final since her victory in Paris last year, it would be silly not to consider her one of the potential winners. The Polish star’s “slump” has consisted of reaching four semifinals and two quarterfinals in seven tournaments this year, which could be considered a great start to the season for almost any other player.

However, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has admitted that she has been struggling, mostly with her mindset. Her early exit in Rome, where she lost to Danielle Collins in the third round, has diminished her candidacy for what would be a record-breaking four consecutive French Open titles on the women’s side.

In that sense, her odds don’t seem in her favor, as her draw could be described as a total nightmare. She has landed in the top half along with world No. 1 Sabalenka and fourth seed Paolini. She faces Rebecca Sramkova in the first round, and then has potential encounters with Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko or Elena Rybakina, and Paolini in the early rounds.

Swiatek is looking for a fifth Roland Garros title (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Sabalenka and Gauff want their first French Open title

Dominating the rankings, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have also enjoyed a strong clay-court season so far. The Belarusian, who reached the final of the Australian Open and won Miami, also triumphed in Madrid and was runner-up in Stuttgart. But in her draw, apart from Swiatek herself, she could potentially face Zheng Qinwen, who beat her for the first time in Rome.

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Sabalenka, who is considered a hard-court player, has a strong record in Paris, having reached the quarterfinals and semifinals in her last two Roland Garros appearances. She will play her first match against Kamilla Rakhimova. Paolini and Swiatek could be potential opponents in the semifinals, with Gauff, Pegula or Andreeva projected to reach the final.

Sabalenka has won three majors so far (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

On the other hand, Gauff, who was the 2022 runner-up, also has her eyes on the French Open trophy, which comes with significant prize money. The American star didn’t enjoy a good hard-court swing, but reached the finals in Madrid (losing to Sabalenka) and Rome (losing to Paolini).

However, despite her strong showings, Gauff has struggled with her forehand (which she has been tweaking) and her serve. In that sense, the 21-year-old has a somewhat benevolent draw, with projected matches against compatriots Madison Keys or Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals, and against Mirra Andreeva or Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Gauff is looking for her second major (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Can Paolini bring her momentum from Rome?

Paolini comes fresh off a WTA 1000 tournament victory at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, becoming the first Italian woman to win the title in 40 years, defeating Gauff. She will open against Yuan Yue, and could face 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the fourth round.

Paolini triumphed in Rome (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old has been steadily increasing her level and had her breakthrough run to the final last year. Before that, she was 3–5 at the French Open in her career. However, the Italian said she doesn’t consider herself a favorite, but that she will try “her best.”

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The dark horses

While players have become more consistent in recent years, the WTA is still full of surprises. Young players like Alexandra Eala and Mirra Andreeva, who was semifinalist in the last edition, are worth keeping an eye on, along with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who is playing her best tennis in a long time.

Eala has been one of the standout stories of 2025. The teenager from the Philippines reached the Miami Open semifinals with big wins over Madison Keys and Swiatek, before taking Pegula to three sets. She will make her Roland Garros debut against Emiliana Arango.

L-R: Andreeva, Eala and Raducanu will be tough opponents to encounter (Clive Mason/Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In the bottom half of the draw, former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka will face No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, who is back after injury. They share a quarter with 2024 semifinalist Andreeva, who starts against Cristina Bucsa, and No. 3 seed Pegula, who plays Anca Todoni in the first round.

With all that said, all that’s left is to see who will be crowned in Paris. Whether Iga Swiatek makes history, Gauff and Sabalenka face off in another big final, or an unexpected name makes a deep run, the last stop on clay is set to deliver one showcase of the season’s finest tennis.