Sunday, 25 May 2025

2025 Roland Garros - Women’s Singles Preview

2025 Roland Garros - Women’s Singles Preview 

Three women in this years Roland Garros have won the tournament in previous years.
They are Jelena Ostapenko (2017), Barbora Krejčíková (2021) and Iga Świątek.

Iga Świątek has been down a little on form of late, and that is relative, considering her elite level of the past several years.
However, she is now about to set her sights on the court she has made her own.
Roland Garros is where Iga has thrived, winning four of her five Grand Slam trophies, including the last three.

So beware anyone in this years draw - Iga may be seeded five, but she can win from anywhere in the draw.
Drawn to meet Rebecca Šramková in the first round, and Emma Raducanu or Wang Xinyu in the second, Iga should be smiling.
Unbeaten against each of these, including a win over Wang Xinyu at Roland Garros in 2023.
4-0 head to head against Raducanu.
Third round opponent is scheduled to be Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (26).
All three matches against Kostyuk have been won by Swiatek, the first of these round of 16, 2021 Roland Garros.

Likely round of sixteen opponent will be either Elena Rybakina (12) or Jelena Ostapenko (21).
Rybakina is 4-4 head to head against Iga, but has lost the two times they’ve played this year.
Ostapenko has never lost to Iga in all of their six contests, so that looks as a potential tasty clash.

Assuming survival into the quarters, we could have a rematch of last years final, with Jasmine Paolini (4) looming large.

A fascinating semi final between Świątek and top seed Aryna Sabalenka is on the cards.

Although Sabalenka has never made it past the semis before, she is the obvious favourite to win the title in 2025.
Noting that Iga has won the three most recent clashes on clay.

Sabalenka won 2025 Madrid 1000 on clay, and was beaten by a determined Zheng Qinwen in the 2025 Rome quarters.
Zheng Qinwen is seeded 8 here, and has a fair claim to feature highly.
The talented Chinese player has the chance to repeat her defeat of Sabalenka, as the pair are drawn to meet in the quarters here.

Teen revelation Maria Andreeva is seeded six at this year’s Roland Garros, and is primed to repeat her brilliant performance of last year where she reached the semi finsl. This was after knocking off second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Andreeva May have to sneak past Paula Badosa (10) in the round of sixteen, but she has the means to do this, and then be prepared for what comes out of the next section.
This area of the draw includes two former Roland Garros finalists - Karolina Muchová (14) (2023) and Markéta Vondroušová (2019).
I think Jessica Pegula will navigate her way to the quarters, as she did in 2022, but probably fall short again.

Andreeva’s quarter final opponent could be decided among some Americans.
Third round matches see former semi finalist Madison Keys (7) drawn to play fellow American and 2020 finalist Sofia Kenin (31j.
Also in that round Emma Navarro (9) from the USA is drawn to play Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (23).
Haddad Maia was a semi finalist in 2023, while the furthest Navarro has reached is the round of sixteen last year.

2022 finalist CoCo Gauff (2), is drawn to play the winner of the above section, but only if she makes it past either Barbora Krejčíková (15) or  Ekaterina Alexandrova (20).
Although Krejčíková has won both times she has played Gauff, including on her way to claiming the 2021 Roland Garros crown, this year is muc different, and CoCo is primed.

My predictions:

Quarter finals:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) to defeat Zheng Qinwen (8)
Iga Świątek (5) to defeat Jasmine Paolini (4)
Mirra Andreeva (6) to defeat Jessica Pegula (3)
Coco Gauff (2) to defeat Beatriz Haddad Maia (23)

Semi finals:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) to defeat Iga Świątek (5)
CoCo Gauff (2) to defeat Mirra Andreeva (6)

Final:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) to defeat CoCo Gauff (2)

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