The 2021 French Open will begin a week later than planned this Sunday, with Iga Swiatek looking to defend the title she won last October amid an intriguing draw.
Swiatek is seeded eighth at Roland Garros this year and is one of two notable favourites for the title following her run to the title at the Italian Open a fortnight ago.
World number one and 2019 champion Ashleigh Barty, who did not defend her title in 2020 due to the pandemic, is the other favourite for the title and she and the Pole find themselves on the same side of the draw
2020 runner-up and fourth seed Sofia Kenin and fifth seed Elina Svitolina also sit on the top half of the draw, whilst the bottom half is headlined by second seed Naomi Osaka and third seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Osaka will be hoping for an improvement in form after a shaky clay build-up, whilst Sabalenka will be looking for a first significant Slam run after becoming a dominant figure on the WTA
Also present on the bottom half is sixth seed Bianca Andreescu who will be hoping to be fit and healthy ahead of just a second Roland Garros appearance, whilst seventh seed and three-time champion Serena Williams is once again vying for a 24th Grand Slam singles title.
With several other potential contenders floating around the draw and a couple of eye-catching early clashes, we’re set for two weeks of high-quality tennis as 128 women aim to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
First Quarter
Projected Q/F: (1st) Ashleigh Barty vs (5th) Elina Svitolina
Two years after winning her first, and to date only, Major in Paris, Barty retired from her quarter-final match in Rome but now looks in good shape to contend for a second Roland Garros title.
The Australian should cruise through her first two rounds before a potential hurdle against 25th seed Ons Jabeur, with 13th seed Jennifer Brady or 24th seed Coco Gauff after that; the two Americans are set for an intriguing third round contest.
Barty is capable of beating anyone in her eighth but nerves have struck her at Slams recently. Will the same happen again with 2000 ranking points to defend?
Further down this first quarter sits fifth seed Svitolina. The Ukrainian nearly beat Barty in Stuttgart a few weeks back and is a three-time quarter-finalist at this event.
Her form has not been as strong recently and she could have a tricky third round match against 32nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, with ninth seed and former semi-finalist Karolina Pliskova her projected fourth round opponent.
Pliskova herself has a tough draw though, with Donna Vekic in round one and 18th seed Karolina Muchova- who beat her at the Australian Open on the way to the last four- waiting in round three.
Prediction: Barty def Svitolina
Second Quarter
Projected Q/F: (4th) Sofia Kenin vs (8th) Iga Swiatek
2021 has not been kind to 2020 WTA Player of the Year Kenin, and the struggling American faces a nightmare first round against 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Ostapenko is notoriously streaky though could hit Kenin off court, with more dangers lurking early on for whoever progresses out of that match.
28th seed Jessica Pegula, one of the form players this season, is a potential third round opponent whilst 14th seed and likely fourth round opponent Elise Mertens is a strong clay courter and consistent Slam performer.
Meanwhile, Swiatek has a nice potential passage through the first week. Shelby Rogers is a potential danger in the second round but the Pole will have a strong advantage on clay, whilst potential third round opponent, 30th seed Anett Kontaveit, is not in great form.
However, a blockbuster fourth round against 12th seed and 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza could await. The Spaniard dropped just four games when they met in Dubai.
The Spaniard is not quite in the form she was early on in 2021, but has a kind draw and will be dangerous if she builds momentum.
Prediction: Swiatek def Mertens
Third Quarter
Projected Q/F: (7th) Serena Williams vs (3rd) Aryna Sabalenka
Serena and Sabalenka contested one of the matches of the Australian Open when they met in the fourth round in Melbourne, and the two could meet again in the last eight here.
Serena’s clay season has been below-par and it is difficult to know what she is capable of on her least favourite surface at this stage of her career, but the American has a good draw early on.
An opening round against Irina-Camelia Begu shouldn’t be too difficult and she would be the favourite for a third round encounter against out of form 26th seed Angelique Kerber, though a fourth round against 11th seed and 2020 semi-finalist Petra Kvitova would be a challenge.
Sitting at a career high of fourth, Sabalenka is under pressure to reach a first Major quarter-final and though red clay may not be her strongest surface her draw is kind prior to the quarter-finals.
Few players in her section are in great form, with 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova- who Sabalenka beat comfortably in Madrid- the first seed she could face before a potential fourth round against compatriot Victoria Azarenka.
Seeded 15th, Azarenka has stalled this season and faces a tricky opener against former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in what is one of the picks of the first round ties.
Prediction: Sabalenka def Kvitova
Fourth Quarter
Projected Q/F: (6th) Bianca Andreescu vs (2nd) Naomi Osaka
In perhaps the most open section of the draw, Andreescu and Osaka will both be hoping for a first deep run at Roland Garros.
Sixth seed Andreescu has faced constant injury issues in the past two years and her 2021 clay season was disrupted by a positive covid test, though if she is playing well a run to at least the third round looks likely.
However, there she could face the winner of an intriguing first round between 2019 semifinalist and in-form 29th seed Veronika Kudermetova, whilst a fourth round against 10th seed Belinda Bencic would be dangerous; Bencic, however, would need to beat 2020 semifinalist Nadia Podoroska in the first round and potentially Daria Kasatkina after that.
Osaka has had a terrible clay court season and a run to the title looks unlikely, though the Japanese should be able to find her feet on clay with a good path to the last eight.
The second seed has what should be comfortable first and second round matches and inform 33rd seed Paula Badosa is still fairly inexperienced at this level, whilst 16th seed and projected fourth round opponent Kiki Bertens has struggled since undergoing surgery late last year.
One player to watch out for her is 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, who could face Bertens in round three, though the Czech has a tough opener against perennial giant killer Kaia Kanepi.
Prediction: Bencic def Osaka
Semifinal
Barty def Swiatek
Sabalenka def Bencic
Final
Barty def Sabalenka