Wimbledon champ in Swiatek's half
Polish world No.1 Swiatek is bidding to become the first three-time champion at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams eight years ago and the 21-year-old could have to deny fellow reigning Grand Slam title-holders Elena Rybakina and Sabalenka back-to-back to retain the silverware.With the trio increasingly touted as the next Big Three, much was made of which half fourth seed Rybakina landed in.
Swiatek could meet the Kazakh, who has beaten her three times this year, in the semi-finals.
Having withdrawn due to injury in their most recent encounter in the Rome quarter-finals, the top-seeded Swiatek will not let her sights shift beyond her first obstacle, Cristina Bucsa. The Spaniard salvaged just one game when the pair met in the Australian Open third round this year.
Swiatek could run into 2021 champion Barbora Krejcikova or former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in a fourth-round Grand Slam heavyweight bout before a possible quarter-final against the woman whom she beat for last year’s title, sixth seed Coco Gauff.
Rybakina looks to continue clay-winning streak
The Rome title leading in could not have come at a better time for Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.Last year’s Wimbledon champion collected enough points to leapfrog into the top four seeds for Roland-Garros and in the process avoided arguably her two greatest threats in Paris, Swiatek and Sabalenka, before the semi-finals.
Rybakina drew a qualifier first but could have her hands full should 18-year-old former girls’ singles champion Linda Noskova reach the second round.
The Czech reached her first tour final in Adelaide to open 2023 and almost sprung the upset on Emma Raducanu in the opening round last year.
Brazilian 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia looms as a likely fourth-round opponent with last year’s Madrid champion, seventh seed Ons Jabeur, on course to meet Rybakina in the quarter-finals.
The Tunisian continues to work her way back from injury and faces a tricky potential roadblock in the third round should she run into 30th seed Sorana Cirstea, having split four meetings with the Romanian.