Contenders lining up, eyeing Swiatek's Roland Garros crown

PARIS — The French Open women's tournament gets under way this weekend without a clear favorite for the first time in several years, with a clutch of players in strong form and Iga Swiatek enduring an unprecedented slump.

Jasmine Paolini became the eighth different player to reach a WTA 1000 final this season at last week's Rome Open, before defeating Coco Gauff to clinch the biggest title of her career.

Aryna Sabalenka has solidified her position as world No 1, while Swiatek, winner of four Roland Garros titles in the last five years, has failed to reach any tour-level final since lifting her third successive French Open almost 12 months ago.

Sabalenka briefly dropped off from her best form after a surprise Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys, before bouncing back with the Miami and Madrid Open titles.

"I got really hungry and angry — angry in a good way — and, I think, in the end, the Australian Open final pushed me to work even harder," she told the WTA.

" (It) kind of explained to me that you have to really work hard in finals and you have to earn your victories. It was a good push for me."

But, the Belarusian has also shown signs of fragility, and was well beaten by Chinese ace Zheng Qinwen in the Rome quarterfinals.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has never reached the Roland Garros final and could face Swiatek in the last eight.

She exited the French Open at that stage last year, when she gave up a one-set lead en route to defeat at the hands of Mirra Andreeva.

Gauff's final appearances in Madrid and Rome have helped her return to a career-high ranking of world No 2, giving her the second seeding for Paris.

The 21-year-old, a former Roland Garros runner-up, is waiting for her first title since last year's WTA Finals.

"Hopefully, I can get to the final at Roland Garros, and maybe the 'third time lucky' thing is a real thing," Gauff said after missing out in Rome to Paolini.

Jessica Pegula has also matched her career-best ranking of third, but has only got past the third round of the French Open once.

Last year's losing finalist Paolini, the fourth seed, will be full of confidence after sealing the biggest trophy of her career so far in front of her home fans at the Rome Open.

Andreeva ambition

Several younger players have made their mark on the WTA Tour this season, led by Russian teenager Andreeva.

She became the youngest-ever champion of a WTA 1000 title in Dubai in February, before backing it up with an even more impressive triumph at Indian Wells.

Now 18, Andreeva is undoubtedly among the title contenders in the French capital, as she aims to become the youngest Grand Slam singles champion since compatriot Maria Sharapova famously won the 2004 Wimbledon title.

The world No 6 has proven her prowess on clay, reaching the Roland Garros semifinals last year, and the quarters in both Madrid and Rome this season.

Andreeva's 21-year-old fellow Russian Diana Shnaider is on the cusp of the world's top 10, and is another who could upset the bigger names.

Zheng, 22, will be hoping to replicate the form that took her to Olympic gold at Roland Garros last summer and is seeded eighth.

The top-ranked stars will also be hoping to avoid unseeded teenager Alexandra Eala in the draw after a breakthrough campaign that has helped the 19-year-old become the first Filipino to reach the top 100.

Eala defeated both Keys and Swiatek during her run to the Miami Open semifinals, and pushed Swiatek close again in a three-set loss in Madrid.

If Swiatek, dubbed the "Queen of clay", fails to rediscover her top form, there will be a new name on the trophy for the first time since Czech Barbora Krejcikova won it in 2021.

AFP