The 2025 French Open is now just days away, as the stars of women’s tennis finish up their tournament preparations.
128 women will enter the French Open draw with title ambitions, but only one will lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup on Saturday, June 7.
Three former champions, Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova, and Jelena Ostapenko, will look to add to their Roland Garros legacies with another title in 2025.
There are several other WTA stars yet to lift the title, who no doubt believe that this could be their year in Paris.
It’s impossible to know who will win the title, although one tennis legend has now shared her thoughts, naming the five players she thinks could win the French Open.
Rennae Stubbs names the five top contenders for the French Open in 2025
Speaking on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, former doubles number one, Rennae Stubbs, named two of her top five picks for the 2025 French Open.
“I do think there is a real chance that Coco [Gauff] and [Jasmine] Paolini could be in the finals,” she said.
“The way they play their game.”
Paolini beat Gauff in the final of the Italian Open recently, 6-4, 6-2, to win her home tournament.
Stubbs then named three other players, who she believes could challenge for the title.
“There are five contenders for me,” she said.
“Coco, [Aryna] Sabalenka, Iga [Swiatek], Paolini and Qinwen [Zheng].
The five players Stubbs named have enjoyed varying degrees of success in the French capital over the years, although only one has lifted the title.
| Player | French Open titles | French Open runners-up | French Open record | French Open win % |
| Iga Swiatek | 4 | 0 | 35-2 | 95% |
| Coco Gauff | 0 | 1 | 20-5 | 80% |
| Jasmine Paolini | 0 | 1 | 9-6 | 60% |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 0 | 0 | 16-7 | 70% |
| Qinwen Zheng | 0 | 0 | 6-3 | 67% |
Swiatek is the most successful of the quintet, winning four titles in the last five years, while China’s Qinwen Zheng has yet to play her best tennis at the year’s second Grand Slam.
However, each player has a strong claim to the title for various reasons.
Rennae Stubbs’ French Open favorites and their claims to the title
Iga Swiatek
The Polish star will take to the court for her opening match in Paris as a three-time defending champion, having only lost two of her 37 French Open contests.
Swiatek’s record at Roland Garros is immense, and under normal circumstances, she’d be considered the outright favorite.
2025 has been far from normal for Swiatek, however, who has struggled to find her best tennis all year, a problem that, to the surprise of many, continued into the clay court season.
The 23-year-old has failed to reach a final on the surface this season, suffering several disappointing defeats.
- 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Lost to Jelena Ostapenko in QF
- 2025 Madrid Open – Lost to Coco Gauff in SF
- 2025 Italian Open – Lost to Danielle Collins in 3R
Swiatek’s defeat to Danielle Collins was the worst of the lot, as she was dumped out of the Italian Open in the third round, 1-6, 5-7.
The result saw her fall to number five in the world rankings, a decline few would’ve predicted 12 months ago.
She could, of course, rediscover her form in Paris, but it certainly looks like her Roland Garros reign could be coming to an end.
Coco Gauff
Gauff has enjoyed an impressive clay season, winning 11 matches on the surface heading into the French Open.
| Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2025 Italian Open – F | Jasmine Paolini | Loss | 4-6, 2-6 |
| 2025 Italian Open – SF | Qinwen Zheng | Win | 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2025 Italian Open – QF | Mirra Andreeva | Win | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2025 Italian Open – 4R | Emma Raducanu | Win | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 Italian Open – 3R | Magda Linette | Win | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2025 Italian Open – 2R | Victoria Mboko | Win | 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – F | Aryna Sabalenka | Loss | 3-6, 6-7 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – SF | Iga Swiatek | Win | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – QF | Mirra Andreeva | Win | 7-5, 6-1 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – 4R | Belinda Bencic | Win | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – 3R | Ann Li | Win | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – 2R | Dayana Yastremska | Win | 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
| 2025 Stuttgart – QF | Jasmine Paolini | Loss | 4-6, 3-6 |
| 2025 Stuttgart – 2R | Ella Seidel | Win | 6-1, 6-1 |
The only player to have reached both WTA 1000 finals, Gauff will no doubt be a real threat in Paris.
She may be concerned, however, with her recent defeats to Paolini, who she has lost twice to on clay this year.
Should Gauff come face to face with the Italian for a third time, it would be tough to bet against the 29-year-old continuing her winning streak.
Jasmine Paolini
The woman who has had the better of Gauff so far this year will return to the French Open in 2025 as one of the big favorites.
Paolini lost to Swiatek in last year’s final and has continued to impress on the WTA Tour ever since.
Securing her first title at home, Paolini’s win in Rome highlighted her improvements, as she produced some of the best tennis of her career to take down the likes of Ons Jabeur, Ostapenko, and Gauff.
Aryna Sabalenka
The world number one has been a class above in women’s tennis over the past 12 months, and could be just a few short weeks away from adding a fourth Major title to her collection.
- 2023 Australian Open – Won by Aryna Sabalenka
- 2024 Australian Open – Won by Aryna Sabalenka
- 2024 US Open – Won by Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka won the Madrid Open earlier this month and has made visible strides on the surface that she once struggled with.
The Belarusian’s quarterfinal exit in Rome was far from ideal, but that shouldn’t knock her confidence, as she approaches the French Open in search of her maiden title on the Parisian clay.
Qinwen Zheng
22-year-old Zheng has yet to produce her best tennis at the French Open, but that’s not to say she hasn’t beaten the best in Paris.
Zheng won Olympic Gold at the 2024 Paris Games, taking down favorite Swiatek on her way to the title.
She will therefore return to Paris in 2025 looking to extend her six-match winning streak on the courts that saw her write her name into Chinese sporting history.
Only time will tell who will come out on top at this year’s French Open, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for when the tournament begins on Sunday, May 25.
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