French Open 2025 Preview: Swiatek in Unfamiliar Territory, Alcaraz Likely to Defend Crown
Sinner, Sabalenka, Djokovic & Gauff Others to Watch Out
Photo Credit: Peter Menzel
Vibrant orange courts, sliding superheroes, teasing top-spinners, and edge-of-your-seat rallies — that’s the French Open in all its glory. The clay-court Slam returns this Sunday, promising two weeks of pure delight for tennis fans.
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It’s hard to imagine Roland Garros without the King of Clay, but Rafael Nadal walked into the sunset last year after dominating for over two decades. While Nadal leaves a big hole in the tournament, a new crop of players is ready to carry the legacy forward.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner look set to build a long rivalry in the years to come, while Lorenzo Musetti, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev will be eager to block their outright dominance.
And while we discuss the young generation’s rise, let’s not forget the 38-year-old danger looming over them.
Some call him the greatest of all time.
While his contemporaries have bowed out, Novak Djokovic still hangs around, looking to delay the new era’s full takeover. He may not be in the best of forms this year, but when Djokovic is around, it’s hard to ignore him as a contender.
Just like the men, the women’s draw is powerful—though more open. Over the last five years, Iga Swiatek has owned Roland Garros, winning four titles, including the last three in a row.
But her atypical form and failure to reach a final in 2025 suggest a new champion may be on the horizon.
Who could that be?
The belligerent Aryna Sabalenka will be top of mind, with Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula also in the conversation.
And while the spotlight may be on the usual suspects, 18-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva is quietly making her own case, bidding to become the fourth-youngest champion in women’s singles history.
And let’s not forget, besides Swiatek, there are two past winners in the draw eyeing a second title.
While Barbora Krejcikova’s limited game time this year drops her out of the favorites list, Jelena Ostapenko remains a threat as she chases a second crown—eight years after her first.
Sabalenka seems poised to go all the way and capture her maiden French Open title this year.
In the men’s section of the draw, an Alcaraz-Sinner men’s singles final looks like a strong possibility, with the former tipped to successfully defend his crown.
But before we look too far ahead, here’s a look at what to expect in the first week of action.
French Open Quiz (answer at the end!):
Which of these players never won a French Open singles title? Jennifer Capriati, Anastasia Myskina, Mary Pierce, Elena Dementieva (Get more such French Open quiz questions here)
Tough Draw Handed to Swiatek
Seeded No. 5, Iga Swiatek finds herself in unfamiliar territory at Roland Garros—this is her lowest seeding since 2021, and it means a tough road ahead.
If there’s ever a place to arrest her disappointing 2025 slide, it’s here, where she’s blossomed before. But given her recent dip, every match could feel like a test.
Rebecca Sramkova in the first round shouldn’t trouble her, but things heat up fast—Emma Raducanu, a Grand Slam champion, could await in round two, followed by the gritty Marta Kostyuk.
We see Swiatek making the fourth round, but that’s where danger looms: Jelena Ostapenko, her nemesis, has a 6-0 record against her and could be waiting.
We’re backing Ostapenko to get past 12th seed Elena Rybakina in that section. Rybakina, though a semifinalist in Strasbourg at the time of writing, has been off-color this year and opens against the tricky Belinda Bencic.
Meanwhile, Ostapenko is in strong form, having recently beaten both Swiatek and Sabalenka en route to the Stuttgart title.
Should Swiatek survive Ostapenko, a potential quarterfinal with Rome champion Jasmine Paolini and a semifinal against Sabalenka await.
But for now, she’ll be focused on one match at a time.
Top Two May Cruise Through
While Swiatek may have a challenging path, the top two seeds are expected to reach the second week without much trouble.
Top seed Sabalenka opens against Kamila Rakhimova and could face Jil Teichmann in round two, Danielle Collins in the third, and Amanda Anisimova in the fourth.
Qinwen Zheng is the most likely quarterfinal opponent, while one of Paolini, Swiatek, Ostapenko, or Elina Svitolina could await in the semifinals.
Second seed Coco Gauff opens her campaign against Olivia Gadecki and is expected to face Chloe Paquet in the second round, followed by Anna Kalinskaya in the third.
A potential fourth-round clash could come against either 15th seed Barbora Krejcikova or 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Should she progress smoothly, Gauff may meet 7th seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals and then either third seed Jessica Pegula or sixth seed Mirra Andreeva in the semis.
Osaka Better Prepared Than Badosa
Naomi Osaka has never been a serious threat on clay, and her record at Roland Garros—never beyond the third round in seven appearances—reflects that.
But she enters this year’s edition with more confidence than her first-round opponent, 10th seed Paula Badosa.
Osaka ended a four-year title drought earlier this month by winning the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo—her first title since returning from maternity leave.
It was a much-needed boost, and she backed it up by reaching the fourth round of the Italian Open, where she lost a tight three-setter to Peyton Stearns.
That defeat snapped her eight-match win streak on clay, but it confirmed she’s one of the most intriguing names in this year’s clay major.
Badosa, a former quarterfinalist, has played just two matches on clay this season and stands 1-1. Given Osaka’s form, we’re slightly leaning toward the unseeded Japanese star to upset the 10th seed in the first round.
Should she advance, Osaka could meet McCartney Kessler in round two, Daria Kasatkina in the third, and sixth seed Mirra Andreeva in the fourth.
We’re backing last year’s semifinalist Andreeva to go deep again, so Osaka’s run may end in the Round of 16.
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Keep an Eye on Alexandrova
No. 20 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova will be aiming to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time in nine years, and this could finally be the season she does it.
Though she pulled out of the Italian Open, her clay-court form earlier this year was impressive: back-to-back semifinals in Charleston and Stuttgart, followed by a fourth-round showing in Madrid.
Her case is even stronger when you consider who she’s beaten on clay in 2025—top 10 players Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, and top 20 Liudmila Samsonova in Stuttgart; another top-10 player Qinwen Zheng in Charleston; and the tricky Daria Kasatkina and Olga Danilovic in Madrid.
We expect her to reach the round of 16 at the expense of 15th seed Krejcikova.
However, that’s likely where her run ends, with second seed Coco Gauff projected to stop her in the fourth round.
Sinner’s and Alcaraz’s Paths
In the men’s draw, top seed Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both expected to go deep, though their routes may unfold in contrasting styles. Sinner may need to grind his way through, while Alcaraz could cruise early on.
Sinner opens against Arthur Rinderknech and could face Richard Gasquet in round two, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third, and either Andrey Rublev or Arthur Fils in the fourth.
These are tricky opponents, but none appear threatening enough to cause a major upset given the Italian’s class and consistency.
The real test could come in the quarterfinals, where world No. 5 Jack Draper—this year’s breakout star—is likely to await.
Draper has already won Indian Wells, reached finals in Doha and Madrid, and made the Rome quarters.
He has the firepower to stretch Sinner, but the Italian should still have the edge. A semifinal showdown with either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev could then follow.
For second seed Alcaraz, our tournament favourite, the draw looks more forgiving.
He begins against Kei Nishikori and may face Luca Nardi in round two, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the third, and Ben Shelton in the fourth.
The first real challenge is expected in the quarterfinals, likely against seventh seed Casper Ruud, with Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz looming in the semifinals.
Musetti Expected to Reach Semis
Seeded eighth, Lorenzo Musetti looks set for a breakthrough run. The Italian is 14–3 on clay this season, with a runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semifinal appearances in both Madrid and Rome.
He opens against a qualifier and should ease through the early rounds before a likely fourth-round clash with Holger Rune. Given his current form, we’re backing Musetti to get past the Dane and book a quarterfinal against fourth seed Taylor Fritz—who hasn’t impressed on clay this year.
Our money’s on Musetti to break through to the final four.
French Open Quiz Answer: Elena Dementieva (Get more such tennis quiz questions here)
Cerundolo Likely to Start Strong
Among players seeded outside the top 16, 18th seed Francisco Cerundolo stands out as a strong contender to reach the second week. With recent semifinal runs in Munich and Madrid, the Argentine is showing solid clay form.
He opens against Gabriel Diallo and could face 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov in a third-round clash. Given his momentum and comfort on clay, we’re backing Cerundolo to come through and set up a potential fourth-round meeting with Alexander Zverev.
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I can’t wait. Go go, Carlos.