Four outside picks to watch for the women’s title at Roland Garros, including Elina Svitolina

Roland Garros is just around the corner, and Elina Svitolina has picked the perfect moment to find her form.

Svitolina heads into Paris on a high after capturing the Italian Open title, a run that saw her get past Coco Gauff in the final and also defeat Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina along the way.

Her attention will soon shift fully to Roland Garros, where she’s shaping up as one of the under-the-radar contenders capable of making a deep run.

But Svitolina isn’t alone in that category. With just days to go until the clay-court Grand Slam, several other WTA players are starting to look like dark horses worth keeping an eye on.

Elina Svitolina

There’s no overlooking Svitolina after what she accomplished in Rome, especially coming into Roland Garros.

She’s already proven she can go toe-to-toe with the best on clay, and her confidence will be sky-high after that run through Swiatek, Rybakina and Gauff.

Svitolina is a perfect 8-0 in clay-court finals now, with an 8-2 record on the surface so far this year. That kind of consistency gives her more than just dark horse status—she’s a legitimate threat.

Marta Kostyuk

Svitolina isn’t the only Ukrainian woman making waves this season, with Marta Kostyuk also in top form during this crucial part of the clay-court calendar.

Kostyuk captured her first WTA 1000 title at the Madrid Open earlier in May, following up on another win in Rouen not long before.

Currently ranked 15th in the world, she’s riding a wave of momentum and will be one to avoid early on at Roland Garros.

Sorana Cirstea

Sorana Cirstea is another player gaining momentum on clay this season, finding some of her best form in what will be the final stretch of her career.

The Romanian plans to retire at the end of the year, but she’s making sure her final campaign is a memorable one with how she’s performed recently.

Cirstea picked up wins over Aryna Sabalenka, Jelena Ostapenko, and Linda Noskova before falling to Coco Gauff in Rome. She also secured a doubles title in Linz earlier in the season.

Mirra Andreeva

Teenager Mirra Andreeva is another name to watch. She took the singles title in Linz earlier this year, adding to her growing list of achievements, including a Madrid Open final appearance.

The 19-year-old has already shown she can compete with the best, having rallied from behind to defeat both Swiatek and Ostapenko on clay this season. That’s caught plenty of attention across the tour.

Andreeva made a semifinal run at Roland Garros two years ago and has shown continued growth since then. Patience is key with young players, but she’s already delivered some impressive results.

Aryna Sabalenka remains the favourite heading into Paris, but with so many storylines unfolding this season, there’s a real sense that anything could happen at Roland Garros.

Read more: