The WTA draw at Roland Garros this year appears to be more open than previous years.
Iga Swiatek has won four Roland Garros titles, including for the past three years in a row.
However, the Pole has suffered a drop off in form in recent months, with Swiatek falling to world number five after losing in the third round of the Italian Open.
This has left at least five WTA players close to winning Roland Garros including world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
While none of these are unseeded players, there are some dark horses that could pose a threat to the big names.
Three unseeded WTA players that could pose a huge threat at Roland Garros this year
Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu has only played at Roland Garros once before, where she lost in the second round, but the Brit has shown some impressive signs on clay this year.
This includes Raducanu reaching the last-16 of the Italian Open, before losing to eventual finalist Coco Gauff.
Some of the former US Open champion’s victories on clay this year include Veronika Kudermetova, Jill Teichmann and most recently world number 17 Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg.
While Raducanu has admitted clay isn’t her best surface, the 22-year-old appears to be getting more comfortable moving on the dirt every match that she plays.
This will not be a pleasant sight for seeded players, who will be hoping to avoid the current world number 43.
Naomi Osaka
Raducanu is not the only Grand Slam champion that has impressed on clay this year, with Naomi Osaka also doing so.
Osaka nearly beat Swiatek at Roland Garros last year, having a match point against the eventual champion in their thrilling second round match.
After the former world number one lost in the first round of the Madrid Open, she decided to drop down a level to play the WTA 125 tournament in Saint-Malo.
This decision paid off, as Osaka won the title and lifted her first trophy since giving birth to her daughter, Shai.
Osaka continued this into the Italian Open, going on an eight match winning streak on clay before losing to Peyton Stearns in Rome.
Given her lead-up to Roland Garros this year, players like the aforementioned Swiatek will not want to see Osaka’s name anywhere near them in the draw this year.
Danielle Collins
One player that you can never underestimate is Danielle Collins, especially now that she has fallen down the WTA rankings outside those 32 seeded places.
The American reminded everyone of her credentials at the Italian Open, with Collins beating Swiatek in straight sets.
Collins has previously been on a run at Roland Garros, reaching the quarter-finals at the clay court major in 2020.
The 31-year-old has struggled for wins in Paris since, but could be a dark horse in her potential final appearance at Roland Garros.
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An unseeded player doing well in Paris is by no means unheard of, with Swiatek winning her first Roland Garros as the world number 54 in 2020.
Last year was no exception for an unseeded player having a breakthrough, as teenager Mirra Andreeva beat Sabalenka en route to reaching the semi-finals.
Andreeva has since continued her rise to become a top 10 player, and could be one of the favourites to go all the way in 2025.
The likes of Raducanu, Osaka and Collins will all be lurking in the Roland Garros women’s singles draw that will be conducted on Thursday May 22.
Main draw action in Paris will get underway on Sunday May 25.
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