Simona Halep comes into the 2019 #FrenchOpen as the defending champion of a Major for the first time in her career as the Romanian attempts to reach the final in Paris for the third consecutive year. Tough resistance will be met, especially with Naomi Osaka's 14-match winning streak at the Grand Slams while Kiki Bertens is a force not to be reckoned with and Petra Kvitova looking to overturn her poor record in Paris.
5 women has the chance to leave the tournament with the world number one ranking -- although four of them has to at least reach the final for any legitimate chance of grabbing the throne. Can the queens of clay, Halep and Bertens, take Paris under their ruling, or will a fairytale story like Jelena Ostapenko two years ago surface once more?
First Section: Osaka lands herself in a difficult position
World number one #NaomiOsaka's improvements on clay were massive, reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome while making the last four in Stuttgart, her best result on clay throughout her entire career. However, no matter how much she has improved, her body always seems to be in the way. She was forced to hand a walkover in Stuttgart and Rome due to a recurring abdominal injury and a swollen hand respectively.
Osaka faces #AnnaKarolinaSchmiedlova in the opening round, an opponent she should be able to cruise past without any hassle. However, her second round match will definitely be a blockbuster.
2017 surprise champion #JelenaOstapenko lies just below her in the draw, and her first round opponent? You would have guessed it, former world number one #VictoriaAzarenka.
The Belarusian had some tough luck with her draws ever since her comeback from maternity leave, and this is definitely not an exception. Ostapenko is in the midst of a struggle having been the fifth seed last year and now finds herself unseeded and looming while Azarenka has been unable to push herself into a seeded position.
The winner of Ostapenko and Azarenka will face Osaka in the second round, and they should fancy their chances in that encounter because the Japanese is playing with the burden of being the top seed while the unseeded player will having nothing to lose.
#KaterinaSiniakova is another name to keep a lookout for in this draw, especially after her resurgent run in Nuremberg which provided her with the confidence she needed amidst a rough start to the year thus far. A potential meeting with 29th seed #MariaSakkari could happen in the second round, but the Greek first has to storm past the returning #AnnaTatishvili, who is finally back from a lengthy injury lay-off. Sakkari reached the semifinals in Rome and would be a decent candidate to reach the fourth round.
#CarolineGarcia refound her footing on clay with a strong run at her home tournament in Strasbourg, and will open her campaign against #MonaBarthel. #MargaritaGasparyan could be waiting next, but with Garcia's excellence on clay, she should be able to steer into the third round easily.
14th seed #MadisonKeys plays just her second clay-court tournament of the year as she opens against #EvgeniyaRodina, the veteran who defeated her at Wimbledon last year. Keys dominates her head-to-head record against Garcia in a projected third-round meeting although this time the Frenchwoman will like her chances with the backing of the home crowd. However, considering the American reached the semifinals last year, she will have extra motivation to produce another deep run.
Prediction: Keys d. Sakkari
Second Section: Serena and Barty set for a showdown
#SerenaWilliams returns to Roland Garros searching for more success after being forced to withdraw from a mouth-watering clash against Maria Sharapova, who is absent due to a shoulder injury, in the fourth round last year. The American is set to face another Russian today, and this time it will be #VitaliaDiatchenko.
#BiancaAndreescu finally returns into action after a straining month of tennis in March which saw her shoulder needing weeks of recuperation. Coming in without any match practice on clay, Andreescu's form remains a mystery but she will have to get her footing quickly as a grinding battle against #SofiaKenin in the second round will certainly take a toll on her health. Can the Canadian challenge Serena's authority if they meet in their projected third-round clash?
23rd seed #HsiehSuwei has received a rather tricky draw, facing #StefanieVoegele with a tougher opponent awaiting next. #AlisonRiske will battle 2014 semifinalist #AndreaPetkovic in the first round, with the winner likely to face Hsieh.
The dangerous #DanielleCollins, who has been underperforming on clay, goes up against #TatjanaMaria in a winnable clash although she faces the danger of an early exit as eighth seed #AshleighBarty looms in the second round.
Barty has been ultra impressive in 2019, winning her biggest title in Miami before reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid. The Australian is tipped to progress deep in Paris, having lost to Serena Williams in the second round last year despite leading by a set and a break.
Prediction: Barty d. Andreescu
Third Section: Halep receives a favourable draw
Defending champion and third seed #SimonaHalep will have a decent chance of reclaiming the title in Paris as her path to the second week seems quite clear. It seems that no one in her section could pose a legitimate challenge to her title defence although things can get tough later on.
Halep will start her title defence against #AjlaTomljanovic.
The struggling #DariaGavrilova faces #AleksandraKrunic, who herself had a torrid year as well. #EugenieBouchard returns into action for the first time since March as she finds herself going up against 27th seed #LesiaTsurenko in the opener, which is not the worst draw possible.
21st seed #DariaKasatkina had a horrifying start to the year although she has been slowly picking up the pace along the way. Lady luck shone on the Russian as the crafty youngster will open her Paris campaign against a qualifier but the tough challenge of #MonicaPuig could await next. However, it turned out that the qualifier was #JasminePaolini, who conquered her in Prague last year. Defending quarterfinal points here, Kasatkina will experience a massive drop in her ranking if she were to experience an early exit.
There will be an all-Chinese affair with #WangQiang facing #ZhengSaisai in what could turn out to be a thriller. The winner of this encounter will most likely face the rising star from Poland, #IgaSwiatek, who reached her maiden tour-level final in Lugano earlier this year. Kasatkina will be one of the favourites to reach the fourth round, but can she provide a challenge for Halep?
Prediction: Halep d. Kasatkina
Fourth Section: Can Kvitova navigate her way past the upset alerts?
Petra Kvitova found herself in a dangerous section — being drawn together with two players whom she was defeated by at last year’s Roland Garros and US Open. One of them would be 11th seed #ArynaSabalenka, who struggled on clay before utilizing her wildcard to reach the semifinals in Strasbourg. She will face the veteran #DominikaCibulkova, a former semifinalist who was ranked inside the top-five, and the Belarusian will have to display some of her best tennis on her least-preferred surface to survive the opener. Who knows if her mind might already be on grass?
If Cibulkova was not tough enough to start her Paris campaign with, Sabalenka could face #AmandaAnisimova in the second round. The American humbled the world number 11 in Melbourne earlier this year with a stunning 6-3, 6-2 scoreline. The path never gets easier — with 17th seed #AnettKontaveit being her projected third-round opponent.
Kontaveit herself faces a tough opponent in the first round, having to take on Prague finalist #KarolinaMuchova, who had improved so much within a year. #IrinaCameliaBegu, who is proficient on clay, can pose some trouble in the second round but the Estonian should manage to reach the second week amidst several tough opponents.
Last year’s surprise package #MihaelaBuzarnescu returns to Paris hoping to rekindle the form which saw her rise to her career-high ranking. The Romanian has been struggling with her tennis and is a shadow of her previous self as she will prevent herself from suffering another early exit when she goes up against the hard-hitting #EkaterinaAlexandrova.
The second round will certainly be trickier for the winner — with either 2010 finalist #SamanthaStosur or the veteran #BarboraStrycova awaiting. The Czech should be able to rattle off a couple of good wins and enter the third round.
Former world number two #VeraZvonareva opens against #AlionaBolsova, who is making her Major main draw debut, and will likely face title favourite #PetraKvitova in the second round. The sixth seed faces the resurgent #SoranaCirstea, who overcame a rough patch to reach the semifinals in Nuremberg this week. However, the Czech should still be the favourite to reach the second week but with difficult opponents like Kontaveit potentially awaiting, the path to the title could still be a little blurry for the Australian Open finalist.
Prediction: Kvitova d. Kontaveit
Fifth Section: Can Svitolina find her form in time?
Defending finalist #SloaneStephens will face #MisakiDoi in the first round this year, and will look to defend her points as she prevents herself from falling out of the top-10. If she were to find her best tennis and get straight to business, a second week appearance should not be a problem for the American. The seed in her section is the 32nd seed #AliaksandraSasnovich, who first has to battle past the tricky #PolonaHercog.
2016 champion #GarbineMuguruza will look to rekindle her top form with a strong run here, but she will be under a bulk of pressure this fortnight as she attempts to defend her semifinal points from last year. Opening against #TaylorTownsend, Muguruza is set for a third-round blockbuster against title challenger #ElinaSvitolina.
Svitolina, troubled by a knee injury, will face former finalist #VenusWilliams in one of the most highly-anticipated openers this week. The Ukrainian comes into Paris without a win on clay this year, mostly due to her absence from Stuttgart and first-round exits in both Madrid and Rome. If she were to be healthy again, Svitolina definitely has a decent chance to challenge for the title although a potential repeat of the 2018 WTA Finals final in the fourth round could go either way.
Prediction: Stephens d. Svitolina
Sixth Section: Bertens in a dangerous position once again
#BelindaBencic has never progressed past the second round here in Paris, and this time she will be looking to break the duck although she could face clay-court specialist #LauraSiegemund as early as the second round. The Swiss will fancy her chances of progressing into the second week after a strong run in Madrid which saw her reach the semifinals.
#YuliaPutintseva, the Nuremberg champion, lurks in this section as well. She is projected for an early meeting with #DonnaVekic, who will be aiming to reach the second week for the first time in her career as well.
26th seed #JohannaKonta may have a dismal 0-4 win-loss record at Roland Garros, but she reached back-to-back clay-court finals in Rabat and Rome which solidified her improvement on clay. The Brit should be able to break that losing streak and triumph for the first time at this tournament, and is set for a repeat of her Rome semifinal clash against title favourite #KikiBertens in the third round.
Bertens received a tricky draw — going up against home favourite #PaulineParmentier before facing either the hard-hitting #ViktoriaKuzmova or another Frenchwoman, #AlizeCornet. Either way, it will be a difficult path to the title for the Dutchwoman who comes into the tournament as one of the major favourites for the first time in her career after a stellar clay-court season which saw her become the first woman to win the Mutua Madrid Open without losing a set in the process.
Nonetheless, this would be Bertens’ title to lose and only nerves can defeat her on her favoured clay. Handling the pressure as the favourite would be something new for Bertens, who has spent the majority of her career lurking outside the top-50. She should be able to overcome several early scares to produce yet another deep run.
Prediction: Bertens d. Bencic
Seventh Section: Can Kerber complete the Career Grand Slam?
Fifth seed #AngeliqueKerber is just one Roland Garros title away from completing the Career Grand Slam, and become the eleventh woman in history to achieve the feat. However, she faces some tough resistance with former junior world number one #AnastasiaPotapova awaiting in the opener before the in-form #MarketaVondrousova looms ahead.
Vondrousova experienced a successful 2019, reaching finals at Budapest and Istanbul and the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, Miami, and Rome. With clay being her favoured surface, she will have the upper hand in her projected meeting with Kerber in the second round, particularly with her high confidence now. Currently, the Czech should have a decent chance to progress into the second week.
26th seed #CarlaSuarezNavarro, two-time quarterfinalist, goes up against the in-form #DayanaYastremska who managed to end a four-match losing streak with the title in Strasbourg. If the Ukrainian is able to continue her good run, she would be able to exact revenge for her loss in Rome weeks ago although the Spaniard is always a force to be reckoned with on clay.
20th seed #EliseMertens may have won the biggest title of her career in Doha this year, but she has been unable to find her best tennis elsewhere. Mertens faces #TamaraZidansek in the opening round, and that could be a difficult opener as the Slovenian reached the final in Nuernberg this week and is in some red-hot form.
Former quarterfinalist #AnastasiaPavlyuchenkova is unseeded in the tournament, facing veteran #MandyMinella before a potential meeting with doubles partner #AnastasijaSevastova in the second round. The winner of this clash should be the favourite to reach the second week.
Prediction: Vondrousova d. Pavlyuchenkova
Eighth Section: Pliskova set to continue good run
#CarolineWozniacki is currently under an injury cloud, having been forced to retire at both Madrid and Rome due to a leg injury. She will face #VeronikaKudermetova in the opening round, with the Russian making her first-ever appearance in the main draw of the French Open. As a result, 18th seed #JuliaGoerges will fancy her chances of making the second week although she will first have to battle past fellow hard-hitter #KaiaKanepi.
31st seed #PetraMartic reached the fourth round twice in her career and has proved that Paris left some good memories for her. The Croatian is set for a second-round showdown against local favourite #KristinaMladenovic, which will certainly attract some eyes after their marathon clash in Istanbul in April.
2009 champion #SvetlanaKuznetsova could face second seed #KarolinaPliskova as early as the second round, and that would be a blockbuster considering the Czech had just grabbed the title in Rome. Pliskova, if she manages to get past the tough test from the Russian veteran, should be able to make it to the quarterfinals easily unless Mladenovic produces some of her magic once again.
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