Coco Gauff is in contention for overall glory at the French Open and could end up getting the better of favourite Iga Swiatek in the upcoming Grand Slam tournament in Paris.
Having won the French Open in four of the last five seasons, which includes in three straight years, Polish phenomenon Swiatek is sure to start as a warm favourite in the tennis betting in her bid to maintain her clay-court dominance.
However, Swiatek comes into her title defence in patchy form and there will be plenty that will fancy eclipsing her this season with Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva and – arguably the best of the contenders – Gauff – among those to be feared most, according to the market.
The second Grand Slam of the season gets underway from Roland Garros on Sunday, 24th May, with the women’s final set to take place on Saturday, 7th June.
Selections
Coco Gauff to win women’s French Open 7/1
Jasmine Paolini to win women’s French Open each-way 16/1
Jelena Ostapenko to win women’s French Open each-way 33/1
Gauff can topple out-of-form Swiatek
The French Open has been a Swiatek beneficiary in recent years and, while she has to be feared given her clay-court prowess, she looks on the short side given her recent form.
The Pole, who is seeded only fifth, has failed to win any of her nine tournament appearances this season and her most recent start in Rome was concerning as she suffered a second-round exit to Danielle Collins, going down convincingly 6-1 7-5.
Meanwhile, it could also be worth taking on world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who is a three-time Grand Slam champion yet is clearly at her most vulnerable under these conditions.
Mirra Andreeva is also a poor price given the 18-year-old is yet to make a Grand Slam final, so the value could lie with American ace Gauff.
The second seed has made back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome, and while beaten on each occasion, she consistently delivers and she toppled Swiatek and Andreeva (twice) in those events.
The 21-year-old was runner-up to Swiatek at the French Open in 2022 and has since claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, so should be keen to add to her achievements in Paris.
Paolino could build on Rome success
The late-developing Jasmine Paolino enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024, finishing runner-up at both the French Open and at Wimbledon, but Grand Slam glory could soon be well within her reach.
The Italian proved no match for a dominant Swiatek in last season’s French Open final but she had earlier recorded wins over Elena Rybakina and Andreeva and the clay clearly suits her game well.
The 29-year-old became the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the Rome title last time out and that success featured a 6-4 6-2 victory over Gauff in the final, form which makes her a live contender in Paris.
Outsider Ostapenko cannot be dismissed
If there is to be a shock at this season’s French Open then the power of Jelena Ostapenko makes her an intriguing outsider.
The Latvian claimed the biggest win of her career when claiming French Open glory as a 20-year-old in 2017 and, while she has struggled to build on that, her recent form has been encouraging.
Ostapenko is still capable of producing world-class performances and that was evident when she won the Stuttgart Open at the end of April, a title triumph which featured victories over both Swiatek and Sabalenka.
