The men’s singles title at Roland Garros appears to be up for grabs, but the story is very different in the women’s competition. World No. 1 and three-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek is favored over the entire rest of the field, going off at less than even money. Can anyone challenge her in Paris? Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins are among those who hope the answer to that question is “Yes.”
Let's check out the best bets to be made on the women’s side at Roland Garros before play gets underway on Sunday.
- IGA SWIATEK
- ARYNA SABALENKA
- DANIELLE COLLINS
- JELENA OSTAPENKO
- ELINA SVITOLINA
Value On Swiatek
Why is Swiatek such a big favorite in Paris? Let us count the ways. At just 22 years old, she is already a three-time champion of the French Open – with all three titles coming in the last four seasons. Swiatek heads into her latest title defense in incredible form, too.
She is coming off back-to-back clay-court triumphs in Madrid and Rome, where she defeated Sabalenka in both finals. If the second-ranked Sabalenka can’t beat Swiatek, who can? The answer is probably no one.
Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are not at their best on clay, while the other Grand Slam champions in the field are either no longer in peak form (Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, Barbora Krejcikova), more inconsistent than the top players in the world (Jelena Ostapenko, Marketa Vondrousova), or struggling at the moment (Coco Gauff). As usual, this is Swiatek’s title to win – and in all likelihood, she will.
IGA SWIATEK TO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
Sabalenka Swiatek’s Top Challenger
As good as Swiatek is, stranger things have happened... It’s not like the top seed is a mortal lock to take the title; we shouldn’t just cancel the tournament before it starts. If anyone truly stands in Swiatek’s way of a fourth Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, it’s Sabalenka.
The No. 2 seed has been in spectacular form this season, highlighted by a second consecutive Australian Open title. In addition to her runner-up performances in Madrid and Rome, she also reached the Brisbane final (lost to Rybakina). In other words, Sabalenka has been playing in finals left and right.
The good news, of course, about being the second seed is that Sabalenka won’t have to face Swiatek until the French Open final. Her draw is also favorable because Gauff, Collins, Ostapenko and Vondrousova all find themselves on Swiatek’s side of the bracket. If the championship match does end up being Swiatek vs. Sabalenka, the Belarusian can’t be entirely discounted. In Madrid, she had multiple match points against Swiatek before falling 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) in an instant classic.
ARYNA SABALENKA TO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
Ostapenko Done It Before
Boom-or-bust players rarely make sense to back in individual matches, but they make for very intriguing bets on the outright market. After all, they can lose to anyone on any given day but also have the potential to go all the way. Jelena Ostapenko is one such player. The 26-year-old did go all the way at Roland Garros in 2017 – when she upset a heavily favored Simona Halep in the championship match.
Lightning has not struck twice for Ostapenko, but she has continued to post decent results every so often. The Latvian has since reached the Wimbledon semifinals (2018) and three other major quarterfinals (one each at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the U.S. Open).
Her trip to the U.S. Open quarters last summer included a victory over none other than Swiatek. When Ostapenko is playing well, watch out – and she is playing well right now with a recent quarterfinal performance in Rome.
JELENA OSTAPENKO TO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
Collins To Keep Up The Heat
Outside of Swiatek and Sabalenka, Collins is unquestionably the hottest player on tour. The 30-year-old announced at the Australian Open that this will be the last season of her career and – if true – she is going out with a bang.
Collins captured back-to-back titles earlier this spring in Miami (hard courts) and Charleston (clay), and she advanced to the semifinals in Rome (lost to Sabalenka). Unfortunately for the 12th-ranked American, her draw is not a good one. She will run into Swiatek in the quarterfinals if both women advance that far.
Even before that Collins could have to get past Marta Kostyuk in the third round and Vondrousova – the 2019 French Open runner-up – in the fourth round. It won’t be easy, but anything is possible for Collins given her current level of tennis.
DANIELLE COLLINS RO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
Svitolina Worth A Look
Despite the recent dominance of Swiatek and, to a lesser extent Sabalenka, there is always room for an upset or two. Who has a chance to pull off the biggest surprise of all and cash outright tickets at long odds? Elina Svitolina could be that woman at the 2024 French Open.
The Ukrainian began a comeback from the birth of her first child (with husband Gael Monfils) in 2023, and it is a comeback that has been going quite well. Her Grand Slam results last season featured a quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros and a semifinal run at Wimbledon. She also reached the fourth round of the Aussie Open earlier this year and is coming off a fourth-round appearance in Rome.
Although the 29-year-old's results have not been outstanding so far in 2024, her losses have been encouraging. Most have come at the hands of higher-ranked opponents in competitive three-set matches. Svitolina is playing well, and she has a friendly draw in Paris, where she would not meet Sabalenka until the semis and Swiatek until the final.
ELINA SVITOLINA TO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
