Against all odds: Former French Open finalist survives qualifying scare to return

The 2026 French Open is about to kick off, and the women’s draw is as wide open as ever.

Aryna Sabalenka, currently holding the top spot in the rankings, enters as the favourite after finishing second last year. However, her form on clay hasn’t been convincing heading into Paris.

Sabalenka was knocked out in the quarterfinals in Madrid and didn’t get past the third round in Rome. It hasn’t been a strong build-up for her.

Defending champion Coco Gauff has had mixed results this season, while Iga Swiatek, a four-time winner at Roland Garros, also seems to be searching for her best tennis.

Before the main event begins, there’s already been plenty of interest coming out of qualifying. Sloane Stephens, who won a Grand Slam earlier in her career, is among those making headlines this week.

Sloane Stephens advances to the French Open main draw

Stephens, a 2018 French Open finalist, made it through qualifying on Thursday to secure her spot in the main draw.

The American fought back from a set down against Leyre Romero Gormaz of Spain to book her place in round one.

Back in 2018, she had an outstanding run, losing only one set before reaching the final.

Along the way, she beat Daria Kasatkina and Madison Keys before falling to Simona Halep in the final.

Since then, Stephens has reached two quarterfinals at Roland Garros but hasn’t been able to repeat her success from six years ago.

Sloane Stephens’ Australian Open run in 2026

Stephens is making her second appearance in a Grand Slam main draw this season, having already played at the Australian Open.

In Melbourne, she had to fight through qualifying just to make it into the first round, where she lost in straight sets.

She fell to former world number one Karolina Pliskova, who came away with a 7-6, 6-2 win.

The last time Stephens made it beyond the opening round of a Grand Slam was back at Wimbledon in 2022.

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