Several women are in contention to win this year’s French Open title.
You could quite easily make a case for nine or 10 women to win Roland Garros this year.
Aside from the usual suspects at the top of the world rankings, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Mirra Andreeva have all impressed on clay this year.
Can anyone realistically stop Aryna Sabalenka from going ‘all the way’ at Roland Garros this year? 🏆
It’s difficult to pick a winner, but the ‘Nothing Major‘ hosts, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson have tried their best.
John Isner backs Elena Rybakina to win her first French Open title this year
“Give me [Elena] Rybakina,” said Isner.
“I’m going to go with [Aryna] Sabalenka,” said Johnson.
“She’s going to get it done.
“Heartbreak last year in the final, she’s going to get it done.”
“I’ve been kind of not giving Iga [Swiatek] any credit all clay-court season, alright fine, give me Iga!” said Querrey.
Nothing Major’s Roland Garros picks
- John Isner – Elena Rybakina
- Steve Johnson – Aryna Sabalenka
- Sam Querrey – Iga Swiatek
The trio couldn’t agree on a favourite for the women’s tournament, with all three picking a different player.
Elena Rybakina is an interesting pick, having never been past the quarter-finals in Paris, but has already won a Grand Slam this year and won the Stuttgart Open on clay earlier in the season.
Aryna Sabalenka is another big favourite, narrowly missing out on the title last year.
No active player has more pedigree at Roland Garros than Iga Swiatek, though, entering this year’s tournament as a four-time champion.
There was, however, one notable omission from their predictions: Coco Gauff.
Gauff won the 2025 French Open, defeating Sabalenka in the final.
And it’s not as if she’s in bad form either, having reached the Italian Open final last time around.
But in Isner, Querrey, and Johnson’s defence, there are almost too many players to pick from!
French Open contenders
| Player | French Open titles | French Open record | French Open win % | 2026 Clay-court record | 2026 Clay win % |
| Iga Swiatek | 4 | 40-3 | 93% | 6-3 | 67% |
| Coco Gauff | 1 | 27-5 | 84% | 8-3 | 73% |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 0 | 22-8 | 73% | 4-2 | 67% |
| Elena Rybakina | 0 | 16-6 | 73% | 9-2 | 82% |
| Mirra Andreeva | 0 | 11-3 | 79% | 15-3 | 83% |
| Jessica Pegula | 0 | 11-6 | 65% | 9-2 | 82% |
| Elina Svitolina | 0 | 33-12 | 73% | 8-2 | 80% |
| Marta Kostyuk | 0 | 4-6 | 40% | 12-0 | 100% |
The four big favourites, Swiatek, Gauff, Rybakina, and Sabalenka, haven’t played as well on clay this year as the chasing pack.
Could someone else challenge for the title? Only time will tell..
What seed is most likely to win the French Open?
The top eight seeds for the 2026 French Open are as follows.
- [1] Aryna Sabalenka
- [2] Elena Rybakina
- [3] Iga Swiatek
- [4] Coco Gauff
- [5] Jessica Pegula
- [6] Amanda Anisimova
- [7] Elina Svitolina
- [8] Mirra Andreeva
But which seeded position has produced the most winners over the last 10 years?
Previous 10 French Open champions
| Year | Champion | Seed | 2026 equivalent |
| 2025 | Coco Gauff | [2] | [2] Elena Rybakina |
| 2024 | Iga Swiatek | [1] | [1] Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2023 | Iga Swiatek | [1] | [1] Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2022 | Iga Swiatek | [1] | [1] Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2021 | Barbora Krejcikova | Unseeded | – |
| 2020 | Iga Swiatek | Unseeded | – |
| 2019 | Ashleigh Barty | [8] | [8] Mirra Andreeva |
| 2018 | Simona Halep | [1] | [1] Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2017 | Jelena Ostapenko | Unseeded | – |
| 2016 | Garbine Mugurza | [4] | [4] Coco Gauff |
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the number-one seed has produced the most champions since 2016.
What is interesting, however, is that three unseeded players have won Roland Garros during that period.
Alex Eala, Emma Raducanu, and Qinwen Zheng are among the unseeded players in this year’s draw.
China’s Zheng has already won Olympic gold on the Parisian clay, so she certainly has the pedigree.
The 2026 French Open main draw begins on Sunday, May 24.
