3. Who else might throw their hats in the Roland Garros ring?
While Swiatek and Sabalenka are the top contenders for Paris, both have their vulnerabilities. Swiatek struggled to keep the ball in the court, or anywhere near it, in her Madrid semifinal, while Sabalenka has never made a final at RG.
Two Americans, Gauff and Jessica Pegula, are ranked third and fourth at the moment, and have shown promising signs this spring. Pegula won 17 of 19 matches in March and April, while Gauff beat Andreeva and Swiatek on her way to the Madrid final.
Jasmine Paolini, finalist last year in Paris, had a slow start to the season, but she made the semis in Miami and Stuttgart. We’ll see what she can do in front of the home folks in Rome. Last year she went out in the first round, but her draw looks decent this time.
Zheng, who won Olympic gold at RG last year; Ostapenko, who won the title there in 2017; and Keys, a Rome finalist eight years ago, can always catch lightning in a bottle.
But the most prominent and promising outside-chance contender in Rome and Paris is the 17-year-old Andreeva. After winning back to back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, and beating Sabalenka and Swiatek along the way, the young Russian has cooled off a bit. But the talent isn’t going anywhere.
