Aryna Sabalenka began her Roland Garros campaign with a comfortable victory over Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday.
Sabalenka, who is said to have made a ‘very dangerous’ adjustment during the victory, defeated Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Sabalenka has now won 22 consecutive first-round matches at Grand Slam events; she was last defeated in the opening round by Carla Suarez Navarro at the 2020 Australian Open.
Can anyone realistically stop Aryna Sabalenka from going ‘all the way’ at Roland Garros this year? 🏆
The Belarusian, who is seeking to win her first Roland Garros title, will play Elsa Jacquemot in the second round.
Sabalenka is certainly one of the favourites for this year’s title, alongside the likes of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.
For the past few years, Swiatek has rightfully been considered the Roland Garros favourite. After all, she is a four-time champion in Paris.
Aryna Sabalenka has now stated whether she believes Swiatek is the favourite for this year’s event.
Aryna Sabalenka says Iga Swiatek is the Roland Garros favourite this year
During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka was asked whether Swiatek was still one of her biggest rivals on the WTA Tour.
“Of course, always!” Sabalenka responded. “She is such a great player and I love to see that she is always open for new stuff and bringing in a new coach.
“She is finding things that have been working really well before and she felt lost, but I can see that she is getting better and improving and getting back on track.”
The Belarusian then added: “Of course, I always consider her as the favourite.”
Swiatek began the year poorly, suffering multiple early exits at high-profile WTA events.
Things came to a head in Miami when she lost to compatriot Magda Linette in the second round.
Swiatek described her plight as her ‘worst nightmare.’
Świątek split with coach Wim Fissette shortly afterwards and hired Francisco Roig.
Since Roig’s arrival, Swiatek has enjoyed an uptick in her performances and results, demonstrating a more consistent level of play.
Iga Swiatek’s results since hiring Francisco Roig
- Stuttgart Open: lost in the quarter-finals to Mirra Andreeva
- Madrid Open: retired at 6-7, 6-2, 0-3 against Ann Li in the third round
- Italian Open: lost to Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals
- Roland Garros: advanced to the second round with victory over Emerson Jones
Recently, the Pole enjoyed her best tournament run of the year, defeating Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula on her way to the Italian Open semi-finals.
Swiatek has since travelled to Paris. She advanced to the French Open second round on Monday after beating Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka’s match against Iga Swiatek in Paris
Last year, Sabalenka and Swiatek played each other for the first time on the Parisian red clay.
Sabalenka emerged victorious, defeating Swiatek 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 to reach her first Roland Garros final.
The victory ended Swiatek’s 26-match win-streak at the event.
“I’m super happy with the win today and beating Iga at the Roland Garros,” Sabalenka said during her post-match press conference.
“It’s just something unbelievable and something I’m super proud of, and yeah, just happy to get through this difficult match.”
Sabalenka went on to lose the 2025 Roland Garros final to Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka will hope to bury the demons of last year’s final loss and finally lift the French Open title at this year’s event.
The Belarusian may need to go through Iga Swiatek to win the title. The pair could play each other in the final.
