Rivals coming for ‘suffering’ Swiatek’s crown

Matt Trollope is a journalist for Tennis Australia, which has contributed this piece

Iga Swiatek may just grow to be the primary lady in additional than 100 years to win four-straight Roland-Garros titles. But together with her competitors sensing vulnerability, shall we see a brand new champion topped in Paris.

Swiatek’s dominance on clay, particularly at Roland-Garros, has made her nearly a lock for the French name in recent times.

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But this time she arrives in Paris in a kind stoop, and reasonably startlingly will probably be seeded outdoor the highest 4.

After shedding within the 3rd spherical in Rome, the place she used to be the protecting champion, Swiatek fell to global No.5 – her lowest rating in additional than 3 years.

She has additionally did not win a name since Roland-Garros remaining 12 months. You have to return to 2019, the 12 months of her tour-level debut, to discover a duration when Swiatek went 12 months with out hoisting a trophy.

Still, she is aware of higher than someone the right way to get it achieved within the French capital.

A winner of 4 of the previous 5 editions and the three-time protecting champion, Swiatek may just grow to be the primary lady in additional than 100 years to win 4 in a row. The remaining to take action used to be French legend Suzanne Lenglen in 1923.

Swiatek has hoarded French titles to such an extent that there are simplest two different girls competing nowadays – Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova – who’ve additionally received the development.

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So, do we see a brand new Roland-Garros girls’s singles champion, or will Swiatek rediscover her successful techniques at her favorite event?

Sam Stosur, a Roland-Garros finalist in 2010 who reached some other 3 semi finals, says both risk is believable.

“I think the other top players and contenders people might be talking about for the title are like: ‘Oh, here’s our time’,” Stosur informed ausopen.com.

“We know what she’s done but she’s not playing like that right now; she’s been struggling, hasn’t won a title, etc. You’d be like, ‘This is my best chance probably in the last four or five years to be able to do that.

“Given the participant she is, the champion she’s been, she’s received more than one grand slams and been No.1 – Iga does have numerous revel in to now assume: ‘OK, that’s what I’ve were given to now lean on going into this 12 months’s French Open, as a result of I’ve confirmed time and time once more that I will win it.

“So if she’s ever going to feel good, it’s gotta be coming now. She has to think of it as a positive that she’s had the results at Roland-Garros, and not the other way around.

“But I might say many of the box are considering: ‘Nah, that is our alternative right here’.”

So, who has the best opportunity? Stosur believes five players stand out.

Aryna Sabalenka

The world No.1 is increasingly dominant, having already reached six finals in 2025 and winning three – Brisbane, Miami and Madrid.

She’s 11-2 on clay this year – she reached the Stuttgart final and Rome quarters either side of her Madrid triumph – and is now almost 4,000 ranking points ahead of second-ranked Coco Gauff.

Since 2021 Sabalenka has been the game’s most consistent performer at the majors, reaching 10 semi finals, five finals and winning three titles, most recently the 2024 US Open.

She’s also come incredibly close in Paris, losing to Karolina Muchova from match point up in the 2023 semi finals, then last year suffering an illness-affected quarterfinal loss to Mirra Andreeva.

Stosur described those moments as “little blips” that just happened to come at huge moments for her. “I do not see that taking place once more,” she said.

“As each and every 12 months’s long past on, she’s grow to be extra dominant, she’s received more than one slams now, so it is roughly glaring that she’s were given that have and backing at the back of her.

“One thing that she always does is bounce back so well, and I find it hard to believe that we’re going to see that sort of snap from her again this year.

“I feel she is going to be extraordinarily tricky. There’s no explanation why she cannot win Roland-Garros; she’s were given an enormous recreation. I do not believe there’re as many clay-court experts; I feel everybody can play on it.

“I will be interested to see how the next couple of weeks go, and play out with her and Gauff.”

Coco Gauff

One of the large beneficiaries of Swiatek’s rating fall, Gauff takes the No.2-seeded place on the reverse finish of the draw to Sabalenka, that means they are able to simplest meet within the ultimate.

The remaining time they met in a big ultimate, Gauff disillusioned Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open, however expressed wonder her first grand slam name used to be in New York – she at all times imagined it could come at Roland-Garros.

The closest she were given in Paris used to be the 2022 ultimate, the place she used to be beaten by way of Swiatek. But she’s wrested keep an eye on of the match-up and received their previous 3 conferences in directly units, together with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing within the contemporary Madrid semi finals.

“It was quite interesting to see that result and how it looked like Iga handled it, and everything was a bit shocking, really. It was really unusual, given their past history,” Stosur stated.

“Coco making back-to-back finals [in Madrid and Rome] is definitely a big boost in her year, because she hadn’t been incredible, I think that’s fair to say, right? Last couple of weeks, she’s managed to turn that around.”

Indeed, Gauff heads to Paris having received 10 of her previous 12 suits on clay.

Jasmine Paolini

The remaining of the ones suits used to be a loss within the Rome ultimate to Italy’s Paolini, a surprising triumph that electrified enthusiasts on the Foro Italico whilst reminding everybody of her clay-court credentials.

Last 12 months at Roland-Garros Paolini powered into her first main ultimate, then reached the Wimbledon ultimate to ascertain herself as a brilliant new celebrity.

Back throughout the best 4, she’ll be having a look to copy her Parisian feat and cross one higher.

“Paolini winning Rome, plus the doubles – that’s a heck of an effort,” Stosur stated.

“I wouldn’t have said going into this year, ‘OK Paolini can make a couple of grand slam finals again’… but she’s just played at an event [Rome] where everyone’s playing, and she’s gone and won it, with that hometown feeling.

“That’s large for her going into Roland-Garros now, seeking to again up a finals look.”

Mirra Andreeva

Teenage star Andreeva has risen to a career-high ranking of world No.6 but is third in the Race to the WTA Finals after an outstanding season.

Already in 2025, the 18-year-old has scooped WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells and continues to add to her game as she grows – literally – and matures.

Beating Sabalenka in last year’s Roland-Garros quarter finals sent her through to her first grand slam semi final, yet Stosur believes the pressure could go up a notch for her in Paris this year.

“She’s been in most probably the type of the 12 months, truly,” Stosur said.

“I do know this 12 months she’s been exceptionally excellent and we have observed enhancements in all portions of her recreation. Now that is type of the primary time the place she’s going right into a event and individuals are perhaps speaking about her.

“It could be a really interesting couple of weeks for her, with all of those elements. It’s not just about hitting tennis balls and playing tennis, now; if she allows those other things to maybe enter her thoughts, how does she handle that?

“She’s were given a very good individual together with her in Conchita Martinez to care for that facet of items, and I’ve truly loved seeing their partnership develop.

“This will probably be one of the biggest tests that they’ve had so far.”

Zheng Qinwen

Stosur stated she would “throw a spanner in the works” by way of bringing up Qinwen’s identify a number of the favourites.

“The last time anyone played at Roland-Garros was the Olympics, where she won gold,” Stosur identified.

“It was expected that Iga would probably win gold there and she ended up with bronze. Even just talking about psyche, going back to a place where you’ve been so dominant, but the last result she had there was probably quite disappointing. You just never know where players hold that sort of stuff months and months later.

“On the flipside, for Qinwen successful gold, gosh, you are gonna really feel beautiful excellent going again there.”

Zheng, the AO 2024 finalist, may not have lit up the early parts of 2025 in the same way, but she’s quietly built a solid record, reaching back-to-back quarter finals at Indian Wells and Miami and maintaining her place in the top 10.

Since switching to clay, she made another quarter final in Charleston, then pushed Gauff to the limit in a compelling Rome semi final.

“She’s had an excellent end result remaining week,” Stosur said, “and on the remaining type of minute perhaps places her hand as much as say: ‘grasp on, I’m nonetheless right here, you guys, I’m nonetheless round’.”