The second grand slam of the year, the French Open, is on the horizon and there are more questions than answers on the women’s side.
Iga Swiatek’s poor form on clay this year suddenly suggests her dominance of the event may be over.
There is a fair argument to say that Aryna Sabalenka now goes into the tournament as the favourite to take the crown.
However, the likes of Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng all also have credible chances of taking the ultimate crown.
With so many discussion points around the French Open, The Tennis Gazette’s writers have now shared their predictions for this year’s tournament.
French Open Women’s Singles
Who will win?
Matthew Johns: Aryna Sabalenka will probably never have a better chance to win Roland Garros than this year, and that’s what I think she will do. Her biggest rival Iga Swiatek is struggling at the moment, and Sabalenka has been consistently dominant throughout 2025.
George Patten: Several WTA stars will travel to the French capital with genuine title ambitions in 2025. As the three-time defending champion, Iga Swiatek will no doubt be a threat, but her poor form heading into the tournament has made many cautious of picking her to win again. Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Jasmine Paolini are all serious contenders, but it could well be Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva’s time to shine. A semi-finalist in 2024, the world number six has made big strides forward in 2025 and could be set to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
Peter Lynch: Even with her struggles of late, I can see Iga Swiatek continuing her stunning dominance of this event.
Lee Clarke: I’m going for Iga Swiatek. Having won the last three titles at Roland Gaross it’s hardly a surprising pick but she’s going under the radar amidst some poor form you can bet she won’t want to relinquish her crown easily when the event gets underway.
Big name to flop
Matthew Johns: Jessica Pegula was on a roll after reaching the Miami Open final and then going onto win the title in Charleston. However, since then things have really fallen off for the American, with some niggling injuries seeming to play a big part in her recent drop off in form. Therefore, I don’t think it would be a huge shock to see Pegula lose early in Paris.
George Patten: Australian Open champion Madison Keys has been the story of the season so far, finally winning her first Major in Melbourne. Her clay results have been solid in 2025, but the American may well be in for a Grand Slam reality check when she takes to the court in Paris. The women’s draw is littered with dangerous seeded and unseeded players, and Keys would do well to qualify for her third French Open quarterfinal.
Peter Lynch: She enters as the Australian Open champion, but Madison Keys may not be able to enjoy such success in Paris.
Lee Clarke: Madison Keys has struggled a bit since winning her first major in January and I just don’t see much from her here.
How will Iga Swiatek perform?
Matthew Johns: It has been a rocky few weeks for Iga Swiatek, with it being particularly alarming to see her struggling on the surface on which she is usually so dominant. I do not expect her to just fall out of the tournament early, but I think her winning streak at Roland Garros could come to an end in either the quarter-finals or semis depending on her draw.
George Patten: Iga Swiatek’s Roland Garros numbers are absurd, so much so that some have compared them to those of 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. Winning 35 of her 37 matches at the event, under normal circumstances, you’d expect her to extend her record to 42-2 in 2025. However, it has been far from a normal year for Swiatek, who has struggled for form and has yet to reach a final this season. She’ll likely pick her level back up for the French Open, but Swiatek could be set to fall at the semi-final stage once again.
Peter Lynch: Iga Swiatek has not been herself on clay in recent times, but I still think she has what it takes to not only make a deep run but lift the trophy.
Lee Clarke: As predicted, I think she will win.
Will Coco Gauff reach the semis?
Matthew Johns: It has been a very consistently impressive clay court season for Coco Gauff, and there’s no reason why that cannot continue at Roland Garros. She will be the second seed this year and I can see her going all the way to the final, like she did in 2022.
George Patten: Coco Gauff’s 2025 clay court campaign has been mightily impressive, reaching the finals of both WTA 1000 events on the surface. A runner-up at both events, Gauff will be looking to go one better in Paris, but with a stacked field, she may end up doing one worse. Another appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final would still be impressive, and if she continues reaching the latter stages of Major tournaments, a second title will come before too long.
Peter Lynch: Yes, I think she has what it takes to reach at least the semi-finals, as long as the draw isn’t too unkind.
Lee Clarke: No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure what it is about Coco right now but I just think she’s feeling the pressure more when it comes to the Grand Slam events and until she can stop making so many unforced errors I just can’t see a deep run at a major.
Top American
Matthew Johns: It has to be Coco Gauff for all the reasons I have previously given, she is probably the most reliable American right now with Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Emma Navarro all not at their top level.
George Patten: American number one and world number two Coco Gauff could be in store for another deep run at the year’s second Grand Slam. A former finalist at the event, Gauff outlined her title-winning credentials with appearances in two WTA 1000 finals on the surface in 2025. Winning the title may be just a step too far for Gauff this time around, but don’t be surprised if you see her rocking up on semi-final day next month.
Peter Lynch: It’s hard to look past Coco Gauff at this moment in time after she reached the finals of both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, with her clay game strong right now.
Lee Clarke: On the women’s side, let’s go for Jessica Pegula. At 31 she doesn’t have a long life to crack a Grand Slam and perhaps this is her time to showcase what she’s capable of.
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