Moving towards the business end of the French Open, it’s nearly time to crown the second set of Grand Slam champions this year.
In January, Carlos Alcaraz completed his Career Grand Slam in Melbourne, while Elena Rybakina won her second major title.
Neither player is in the mix to win the French Open, but who is?
How many major titles will Alexander Zverev retire with if he wins the 2026 French Open?
He's the favourite to win in Paris…
American tennis icon Lindsay Davenport has now made her Roland Garros picks.
Lindsay Davenport backs Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev to win the French Open
During an episode of ‘From Paris with Clay‘, Davenport was asked to predict the winners of the men’s and women’s singles tournaments.
“I had [Aryna] Sabalenka before, so I don’t really want to go away from that now,” said Davenport.
Aryna Sabalenka was one of the pre-tournament favourites, despite struggling on clay ahead of Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka’s pre-Roland Garros form
- Madrid Open 2R [WIN] vs Peyton Stearns, 7-5, 6-3
- Madrid Open 3R [WIN] vs Jaqueline Cristian, 6-1, 6-4
- Madrid Open 4R [WIN] vs Naomi Osaka, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2
- Madrid Open QF [LOSS] vs Hailey Baptiste, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7
- Italian Open 2R [WIN] vs Barbora Krejcikova, 6-2, 6-3
- Italian Open 3R [LOSS] vs Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7
Finding her form in Paris, Sabalenka hasn’t dropped a set en route to the quarter-finals, taking down Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Elsa Jacquemot, Daria Kasatkina, and Naomi Osaka.
She is the favourite to lift the title, and couldn’t have asked for a better draw.
The Belarusian will play Russia’s Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, with Anna Kalinskaya or qualifier Maja Chwalinska waiting in the semis.
Having lost in last year’s final to Coco Gauff, Sabalenka has a golden opportunity to right those wrongs in 2026.
Former Grand Slam finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga agreed with Davenport.
“She’s strong, and she has never won here at Roland Garros; maybe it’s her year,” he said.
Davenport then shared their thoughts on the men’s draw.
“He’s got to win, right? Sascha [Zverev]?” she said.
“Like, it’s such a good opportunity for him.”
Zverev has never won a Grand Slam title, but has never had a better chance than this.
Alexander Zverev’s record in Grand Slam finals (0-3)
- 2020 US Open [LOSS] vs Dominic Thiem, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7
- 2024 French Open [LOSS] vs Carlos Alcaraz, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 1-6, 2-6
- 2025 Australian Open [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 6-7, 3-6
Alcaraz didn’t enter the tournament, and his two main rivals, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, failed to reach the fourth round.
Zverev is the top seed remaining in the competition, and is now just two wins away from finally getting his hands on a Grand Slam title…
Who will Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev have to beat to claim the French Open title?
Zverev will return to take on Czechia’s Jakub Mensik in the semi-finals.
They have met once before, in Madrid earlier this year, a match Zverev won in three sets.
Zverev is the favourite to advance, but he would be wise not to underestimate Mensik.
Then, in the final, the German would meet either Flavio Cobolli, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini, or Matteo Arnaldi.
Only one of the four players listed above have previously played a Grand Slam final: Berrettini.
The good news for Zverev is that he has already beaten Berrettini in a ‘big’ clay-court final, stopping the Italian from winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open five years ago.
Sabalenka, on the other hand, must beat Shnaider and then Chwalinska or Kalinskaya to reach the final.
It’s in the final, though, that Sabalenka could encounter trouble.
There, she would play Mirra Andreeva or Marta Kostyuk.
Both players have excelled on clay this year, winning more titles and matches than Sabalenka.
Kostyuk is unbeaten on the surface, picking up titles in Rouen and Madrid before reaching the French Open semis.
However, neither player has been to a Grand Slam final before, and it remains to be seen how they handle the pressure.
Sabalenka will first focus on her quarter-final match against Shnaider, which is scheduled second on Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday, June 3.
