Professional tennis is currently in a rather funky place. On the boys side, top-ranked Jannik Sinner left his sport a gap away from the three-month doping suspension, arguably his obstacle-free problem. No one really took advantage of the absence of the sinner. Alexander Zverev had the opportunity to move to first place, but lost in seven of the eight tournaments before the semifinals, dropping to third place. Novak Djokovic, the greatest slam champion of all time, is also struggling.
On the women’s side, no. Aryna Sabalenka of 1, No. 2Coco Gauff, and No. 6 Mirra Andreeva reached eight finals in 2025 at SLAMS or 1000 level events. The 23-year-old won four French openings that matched the pace of Rafael Nadal’s early career, but in the fall she handled her own undisturbed doping suspension and lost many matches in 2025 (9).
Can someone in the men’s draw prevent the finale of the sinner and Carlos Alcaraz? Did Swiatek’s unstable form (and a brutal draw) make Sabalenka, Gauff or Andreeva a favorite of the women’s titles?
There are plenty of interesting questions and should start right away from the start of the first round, including matchups like 2024 Olympic gold medalist and 2021 open finalist Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastasia Anastas
Singlesfield has 256 men and women, but let’s take a look at 20 players who are particularly likely to win many matches at this two-week French Open.
favorite
Carlos Alcalaz
ESPN Bet Odds: +105
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 7 Casper Ruud (quarterfinals)
Jannik Sinner may be the best male player in the world, but he has one pretty obvious flaw at the moment. He cannot defeat Carlos Alcaraz. The defending French Open champions have four consecutive criminals, including two clay court matchups. Alcaraz won five sets at the French Open Semis last year, and last week’s decision to go 7-6, 6-1 in Rome. Thinner was clearly still in shape after a few months of side jobs, but the rivalry has become more and more attractive in that he won nine times in a total of 12 meetings. Now the player is Alcaraz.
Alcaraz comes to Paris in a wonderful way. After a bumpy hard court season, he was 15-1 with Clay in 2025, beating Lorenzo Musetti to win at Monte Carlo, and then won Jacques Draper, Musetti and Criminal to win at Rome in the final three rounds. In fact, returning to last year’s French Open, he lost only two of his past 29 clay matches. In April, he went to Barcelona’s Holga Rune and Novak Djokovic in last year’s amazing Olympic gold medal match.
Thinner knows he has extra gear to unfold this year once he’s fully matched, but for now Alkaraz is a known amount and is the gold standard for dirt.
Jannik Sinner
ESPN Bet Odds: +220
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 5 Jack Draper or No. 9 Alex de Minaur (quarterfinals)
Jannik Sinner’s breakthrough began almost two years ago. After annoyed early exit at the 2023 French Open, he reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and went out to the race. He won 33 of his last 39 games in 2023. He is an astounding 85-7 since its launch in 2024.
And his totally ruthless 6-0, 6-1 victory over Casperude in the Rome quarterfinals was just as dominant as he was playing against the top 10 players. Rood played two French open finals, but Thinner finished the match as he scored 76% of his service points and 68% of Rood.
While it’s not particularly fun to root chokes in tournaments, the idea for the first sinner Alkaraz Slam Final is appetizing.
Alina Sabalenka
ESPN Bet Odds: +250
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 8 Zheng Qinwen (quarterfinals)
Given that Iga Swiatek has won 32 of the last 33 French open matches, it’s fair to pin her pencil out of her current form, regardless of her current form. But using any 2025 evidence may have to give the world a superiority: Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka has finished in six of the eight tournaments in 2025, with the finals in four of the past six clay court tournaments and four of four of the past eight slams. She fell into February funk after losing to the Madison Keys in the Australian Open Finals, losing three of her four games overall. Otherwise she’s 33-3 in 2025. Clay is probably her worst surface, but that may not be the problem. She’s not all the finals she’ll reach, but she’s the most likely player to get there in the tournament she’ll enter.
Iga Swiatek
ESPN Bet Odds: +340
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 4 Jasmine Paolini (quarter-finals)
Iga Swiatek is at the pace to become the greatest woman’s clay coat so far, but her form is a question mark. She was 0-4 this year against Coco Gough and Mira Andreva, and she failed to play the finals of one of the three clay tournaments that entered this spring. This is the most unstable thing she has seen in years. Is that important? Or will Iga Aura return the moment she stepped into Court Philippe-Chatrier?
The aura will soon return. Swiatek can play informed Marta Kostyuk, Jelena Ostapenko (she’s 0-6) or fourth finalist Jasmine Paolini, quarter finals, Aryna Sabalenka’s semis and Gauff’s Finn and Garf’s arena Sabalenka. That’s It’s ridiculous draw. It’s better to find A-games quickly.
Coco Gouf
ESPN Bet Odds: +550
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 7 Madison Keys or No. 9 Emma Navarro (quarterfinals)
During a three-game winning streak early in the season, Kokogoff lost six straight sets and broke 11 times. She broke Madrid’s Dayana Yasutermska seven times in a three-set victory. 10 He won Zheng Qinwen with a three-set victory. She has double-falls of 8.9% of her time, earning just 42.3% of her second point, the lowest rate since 2020.
Gouf is also the second-place player in the world, reaching the finals in Madrid and Rome. She has cleaned Mira Andreva twice in the past month. She had returned serves as before, and her serve was consistently strong in Rome until the false final with Jasmine Paolini. When Aryna Sabalenka lost control of her serve in 2021, the rest of her game improved and compensated, and once again conquered her serve in 2022, she was a completely different player. It is impossible not to think that the same thing might happen in Gouf one day. That may have already begun.
Mirria andeva
ESPN Bet Odds: +600
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 10 Pola Badosa (4th round)
She doesn’t understand Coco Gauff yet, but otherwise Mirra Andreeva is far ahead of schedule. Betting Aryna Sabalenka to reach the French Open Semis, winning consecutive 1000-level tournaments in Dubai and India’s wells. She was ranked 43rd when she turned 17 and 7th when she turned 18. She absorbs lessons and improves every turn.
Slam passes aren’t easy, but Andreva isn’t bad. She was able to play Ashlyn Kruger (who confused her at last year’s US Open) in the second round and fourth as Paula Badosa or Naomi Osaka. But like we said, she’s been 20-4 years old since mid-February. Her game hole is quickly closed.
You only need to take a few breaks
Novak Djokovic
ESPN Bet Odds: +1100
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 3 Alexander Zverev (quarter-finals)
“Underdog Novak Djokovic.” It never sounds right at all. And technically, it really is it’s not correct. According to ESPN bets, the 38-year-old is still the third favorite in the tournament, and according to the power ratings of Tennis Abstract, he is still the third best player in the world, including Janik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
However, Djokovic has not recently provided much evidence of that. Before joining the Geneva Tournament this week, he was 3-0 with Clay in 2025, just 5-6 since his retirement from an injury at the Australian Open.
Winning several matches in Geneva and returning to the Best Five format, which has been his specialty for a long time, could cause another French open run for the best player of all time. But the idea that he defeated Alexander Zverev (quarterfinals), Criminal (semis) and Alkaraz (finals) certainly seems to be something to ask.
Jasmine Parini
ESPN Bet Odds: +1400
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 5 Iga Swiatek (quarterfinals)
At first it was easy to underestimate the 5-foot-4 Jasmine Paolini. She didn’t really enjoy her career breakthrough until she was 28, when she reached the 2024 French Open Final. But rather than playing a one-off role in her career, it helped her shift into new gear. She also arrived at the Wimbledon Finals, but the hard courts really aren’t hers, but she’s 22-13 in the past year – she’s 10-2 at Clay in 2025. She won Rome last week. She’s ready for another run.
Alexander Zverev
ESPN Bet Odds: +1400
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 6 Novak Jjokovic (quarterfinals)
It was a disappointing year for 28-year-old Alexander Zverev. He was poised to reach number one for the first time, instead playing Shakea and Shakea tennis until No. 1 was no longer an option. Still, he won the Munich title in April, reaching the French Open semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year. He took Carlos Alcaraz to five sets in last year’s final.
Zverev can play suffering at their best, but he struggles with Clay and crushes Jannik Sinner (he’s 0-2 since Sinner’s 2024 breakthrough) or Alcaraz (he lost 10 of 13 sets at Clay).
Zheng Qinwen
ESPN Bet Odds: +1800
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No.1 Aryna Sabalenka (quarter-finals)
22-year-old Zheng Qinwen reached her first Slam Final (Australian Open) in 2024, beating Igaswiecsk at Roland Garros on her way to Olympic Gold last summer. Since her bumpy winter run, she has reached four quarterfinals and one semifinal since March, and she defeated Aryna Sabalenka for the first time (in Rome).
Like Coco Gough, Zheng struggled with her serve in the early months of the year, but she’s back now more than ever. However, she has a potentially rough first round matchup with 2021 finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Lorenzo Musetti
ESPN Bet Odds: +2200
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 10 Holger Rune (Round 4)
The few men’s players are in the same format as the Italians who reached the finals in the semi-finals of Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. He wobbled a bit in the early months of 2025, but the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist (and Wimbledon semi-finalist) is a shotmaker hell. He’s only 2-16 against Janik Sinner, Carlos Alkaraz and Novak Djokovic, but he can beat the others on the field.
Casper Lude
ESPN Bet Odds: +3300
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz (quarterfinals)
Casperude was past the fourth round of four slams, three of which were open in France. He advanced to the finals of three 1000-level events, two of which were in clay. The 26-year-old uses torquey topspin to push the contestants behind the clay baseline, becoming 16-3 at Roland Garros over the past three years. An unpleasant loss to Jannik Sinner reminded him that he may have a lower ceiling than the others, but his nine-match winning streak ahead of the loss reminded him that his floor of clay is very high.
Jessica Pegra
ESPN Bet Odds: +4000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 6 Mirra Andreeva Gold No. 10 Paula Badosa (quarterfinals)
Jessica Pegula has only passed the third round of French Open once, but the 2024 US Open finalist remains one of tennis’s most consistent strengths. She reached four finals in 2025, winning two, one in Clay in Charleston. She has dropped three out of five games since her victory in South Carolina, but continues to vacuum her Tour Points and ranks third in the world.
Others: Elena Rybakina (+3300), Elina Svitolina (+300), Jelena Ostapenko (+4000), Jack Draper (+4000), Paula Badosa (+4000), Madison Keys (+5000), Daniil Medvedev (+5000), Belinda Benchic (+5000)
They love Roland Garros
Holgirl Rune
ESPN Bet Odds: +4000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti (4th round)
Only 22 years old, Holga Rune reached three slam quarterfinals, two in Paris (2022, 2023). He is battling minor injuries and major contradictions, but he is an excellent 6-4 against Clay’s top five players, cleaning up 7-6, 6-2 Carlos Alcaraz to win Barcelona in April. Whether you bet on him or against him, you may be frustrated.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
ESPN Bet Odds: +5000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz (4th round)
There are many players on their resumes who have been in the open success of France. Many of them are fighting the uneven shapes these days. Take Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 2021 finalist, who led Novak Djokovic in that final in two sets before succumbing from there, reached the last two French open quarter finals, but they are the only quarter he has reached in the last eight slams.
He ranked 20th in the world and lost three of his last five games. He hasn’t beaten top 10 opponents on the surface for over a year. If Tsitsipas finds the fifth gear again, it is in Paris.
Others: Alex de Minauru (+5000, 2024 quarterfinals), Ons Jaber (+5000, 2023 finalists), Karolina Man Va (+5000, 2023 finalists), Maria Saccari (+5000, 2021 semifinals), Donna Vekic (+6600, 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist) quarterfinals), Beatrice Haddad Maia (+6600, 2023 semifinals), Dahlia Kasatokina (+6600, 2022 semifinals), Barbora Krezikov Vondruva (+6600, 2019 finalists), Stan Wawrinka (+6600, 2015 champions)
The best-located Americans not named Gauff or Pegula
Payton Sterns
ESPN Bet Odds: +5000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 8 Qinwen Zheng (3rd Round)
Coco Gorff is clearly the most likely American to win the title with Roland Garros, and Jessica Pegra’s high floor probably holds her second list. But 23-year-old Payton Stearns, a former Texas Longhorn, certainly seems to like the burnt orange surface. Her past four semi-finals at all levels appeared in Clay, and her run to the semi-finals to Rome reached a career-high 28th place in the world. In the last 10 clay matches, she has won eight, only losing to Jasmine Paolini and Arena Sabalenka.
Tommy Paul
ESPN Bet Odds: +6600
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 7 Casper Ruud (4th Round)
Four American men are sown in the top 15, with seven being led by No. 5 Taylor Fritz and 12 seed Tommy Paul. However, these seven men totaled 32-34 at Roland Garros, with only Fritz (2024) and Sebastian Korda (2020) reaching the fourth round. However, over the past year, Paul has scored 52.9% of his points in clay. He beat three top 25 opponents in the past two clay events, losing to only Jack Draper and Janik Thinner. The pole may be prepared for the run.
Other Americans: Emma Navarro (+5000), Amanda Anisimova (+5000), Taylor Fritz (+6600), Daniel Collins (+6600), Sebastian Corda (+6600), Ben Shelton (+10000), Francis Teafo (+10000)
Unlucky
Naomi Osaka
ESPN Bet Odds: +5000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No.10 Pola Badosa (first round)
When you are about to reestablish your ranking after the tour is away, you need luck in a draw. Naomi in Osaka has not gotten that. Since returning to the tour in 2024, she has played in five slams, pulling two top 20 opponents in the first round and two times in the second.
Osaka was closer than anyone else to defeating Iga Swieitok in Paris last year, but only got points in the second round. She defeated No. 20 Karolina Muchova in the second round of the Australian Open, but was forced to withdraw from the third time due to injury. And oh, she portrayed Paula Badosa in the first round of Paris. Hmm. Osaka clearly has a huge advantage, and is 8-1 with Clay this year, but she is still looking for a slam breakthrough.
Young people
Jakubu is fascinating
ESPN Bet Odds: +5000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 9 Alex Deminaur (3rd Round)
It was the youth year, with five 23-under men ranked in the top 10 and eight top 19. With the absence of Janik Thinner, two of these players won 1000-level events. Mensic is strong, winning five of his last seven games with Clay. At the very least, he should give Alex de Minauer a tough week of tests. He was able to put the sinners into work in the quarterfinals as well.
Marta Kostyuk
ESPN Bet Odds: +5000
First Potential Top 10 Opponents: No. 5 Iga Swiatek (3rd Round)
In 2021, 18-year-old Malta Koschuk defeated former French open champion Garosa on his way to the fourth round. She has only won one French open match since then, but in 2025 she is undefeated in Clay against a player named Aryna Sabalenka. Without anything else, she could approach it as a rigorous early test for Swiatek.
Others: Arthur Phils (+5000), Diana Schneider (+5000), Emma Radukan (+5000), Towson (+6600)