Iga Swiatek will look to win her fifth French Open title when the tournament begins later this week.
The Polish star endured a difficult start to the 2026 season, suffering a number of early exits at significant WTA events.
However, Swiatek’s form has improved since hiring coach Francisco Roig.
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Despite the recent improvements to her game, Swiatek is at risk of suffering an early exit at Roland Garros after finding out her path to the title.
Iga Swiatek is projected to play Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open
Iga Świątek has been drawn against wildcard Emerson Jones in the French Open first round.
Should Swiatek advance past the youngster, she will play Sara Bejlek or a qualifier in the second round.
If the Polish star moves on to the third round, she will likely play 29th seed Jelena Ostapenko [pictured below].
Ordinarily, facing the 29th seed in a third round would be of little significance when predicting Iga Swiatek’s French Open title-winning chances.
However, the presence of Ostapenko could spell trouble for the four-time French Open champion.
Ostapenko, a Roland Garros champion in her own right, has beaten Swiatek in all six of their previous meetings on the WTA Tour.
The Latvian last defeated Swiatek on her way to the 2025 Stuttgart Open title, beating the Polish star 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2019 Birmingham Open | Ostapenko | 6-0, 6-2 |
| 2021 Indian Wells | Ostapenko | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships | Ostapenko | 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 |
| 2023 US Open | Ostapenko | 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2025 Qatar Open | Ostapenko | 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2025 Stuttgart Open | Ostapenko | 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 |
Swiatek’s remaining defeats to Ostapenko occurred in Doha, New York, Dubai, Indian Wells and Birmingham.
Ostapenko, the 2017 champion in Paris, will play world number 97 Ella Seidel in the first round of the 2026 French Open.
If the Latvian wins, she will face Tereza Valentova or Magda Linette in the second round.
How Jelena Ostapenko reacted after beating Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open
“She is a great clay court player as well, but I won the French [Open] so I can say about myself the same thing,” Ostapenko said after securing her sixth consecutive victory against the world number one last April.
“I have so much respect for her [Swiatek] and her team and everything she is doing for tennis but every time I step on to the court with her I am like it’s another battle, I am ready for it and even if I don’t feel great on the day I am going to fight and leave it all on the court.
“I think it helped today that I was fighting until the very last point.”
Whilst Ostapenko was in control for the majority of the match, she became slightly more erratic at the beginning of the second set, with Swiatek firmly jumping on the rare opportunity.
“In the second set I didn’t feel my game so much, and in the third set I was like okay it’s done, we are playing the third set from the beginning, and I will fight until the end, and we will see what happens,” she stated.
“I am really proud of myself.”
“I felt like the balls were getting a bit slower when they were used and I am really just glad I was fighting.”
