French Open 2025: WTA Contenders Split Across the Draw
With the main draw of the 2025 French Open, aka Roland Garros, kicking off this Sunday, excitement is reaching a fever pitch among fans and players alike. The WTA singles field is stacked and split. Top contenders like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Zheng Qinwen, Mirra Andreeva, and Jasmine Paolini are scattered across different halves and quarters, setting the stage for blockbuster quarterfinals, semifinals or even a dream final.
But before those potential matchups can happen, each star faces their own hurdles. World No. 1 Sabalenka could run into Amanda Anisimova, who holds a 5-2 head-to-head edge over her. Meanwhile, defending champion Swiatek might clash with Jelena Ostapenko, a player who is leading their rivalry 6-0.
This is the kind of unpredictable, high-stakes drama that defines Roland Garros, a battleground where the next WTA star could rise, or a familiar name could rise again to reclaim glory.
In the top quarter, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters Paris in peak form, with three titles this season and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open. Yet her draw poses challenges as she trails Amanda Anisimova 2-5, could face Leylah Fernandez (1-0) in a potential third-round rematch, and has a recent loss to Qinwen Zheng in Rome, her projected quarterfinal opponent.
Zheng’s path, however, includes tough early tests against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Alexandra Eala, Peyton Stearns, and Diana Shnaider. Roland Garros remains the only Slam where Sabalenka hasn’t reached the final, with her best showing being a semifinal run in 2023.
In the second quarter, the three-time consecutive defending champion Iga Swiatek leads a loaded section but holds favorable head-to-heads against most contenders, including Emma Raducanu, Marta Kostyuk, Belinda Bencic, and Elena Rybakina. The main threat is Jelena Ostapenko, who leads their rivalry but enters with shaky form.
Jasmine Paolini, coming off a Rome title, adds intrigue and could meet Elina Svitolina in the fourth round. Despite her dominance in Paris, Swiatek arrives with questions; now ranked No. 5, she hasn’t reached a final since winning here last year.
The most interesting first-round matchups are as follows:
In the third quarter, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva headline a draw full of comeback stories and rising stakes. Pegula, back at a career-high No. 3 after winning her first clay title in Charleston, could face 2023 finalist Karolina Muchova in the fourth round. Jabeur opens against Magdalena Frech, with a potential second-round showdown against Vondrousova.
The section also features former Top 5 players Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova, and Maria Sakkari, all battling back from injuries, though. Meanwhile, Andreeva, already a two-time WTA 1000 winner in 2025, could meet Paula Badosa in the last 16 if Badosa gets past Naomi Osaka in a much-anticipated opening round.
The fourth quarter centers on Coco Gauff, who returns to Paris at a career-high No. 2 after reaching back-to-back WTA 1000 finals in Madrid and Rome, becoming the youngest player to do so in the same season. However, Emma Navarro, who upset Coco Gauff in last year’s Wimbledon and US Open, could once again play spoiler.
The draw also includes a resurgent Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, who has the firepower to go deep in Paris, where she was a semifinalist in 2018.
The most interesting first-round matchups are as follows:
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