Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek: Who Has the Tougher French Open Draw?

Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Świątek are among the top seeds who will be battling it out for the 2026 French Open. The draw for the women’s singles event has been made, serving up some fascinating matchups.

As we prepare for the action to get underway at Roland Garros, here’s a breakdown of what awaits the top four seeds over the next two weeks.

Aryna Sabalenka’s Path to French Open Title

Sabalenka has never won the French Open and will enter this year’s edition as the top seed. She was beaten by Gauff in last year’s final, and will be eager to go one better this time around. However, she is dealing with back and hip concerns going into the tournament, and it remains to be seen whether she will be able to compete at her best.

The world No. 1 will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her opener, followed by a possible second-round matchup against Elsa Jacquemot. Talented youngster Zeynep Sönmez or Daria Kasatkina could await Sabalenka in the third round, with Iva Jovic, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Navarro her possible fourth-round rivals.

Sabalenka and Osaka played out a thrilling fourth-round match in Madrid recently, and the former will certainly be wary of the latter’s upturn in form.

If she makes it to the quarterfinals, Sabalenka could face Jessica Pegula, Victoria Mboko, or Madison Keys. In the semifinals, Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, or Linda Nosková could present the Belarusian with another tough test.

Elena Rybakina’s Path to French Open Title

After winning the Australian Open earlier this year, Rybakina will have the French Open title in her sights. She will begin her Roland Garros journey with a first-round match against Veronika Erjavec. In the second round, she will face Anna Blinkova or Yuliia Starodubtseva.

Rybakina could then come up against Hailey Baptiste in the third round, followed by a possible fourth-round showdown against Jasmine Paolini, Emma Raducanu, or the in-form Sorana Cîrstea. Paolini defeated Rybakina at the 2024 French Open, with their head-to-head currently at 3-3.

In the quarterfinals, Rybakina could face Mirra Andreeva. Their head-to-head stands at 2-2, although the world No. 2 did defeat the young Russian when they met in Stuttgart recently. Karolína Muchová, who lost to Rybakina in the Stuttgart final, is another possible quarterfinal opponent for the Kazakh star.

Possible semifinals opponents for Rybakina include Świątek, Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina, and Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk. Svitolina defeated both Rybakina and Świątek en route to her triumph in Rome.

Iga Świątek’s Path to French Open Title

Świątek found her groove again in Rome and will be keen to convert that into another deep run at the French Open. The Pole will face Australia’s Emerson Jones in the first round.

The Czech Republic’s Sára Bejlek could be a possible second-round opponent for Świątek, who will be gunning for a fifth French Open title this year. A possible third-round against nemesis Jeļena Ostapenko could then await Świątek. She has not been able to defeat the Latvian in their six meetings on the WTA Tour.

In the fourth round, Świątek could face Kostyuk, who goes into the French Open on an 11-match winning streak. The Ukrainian has yet to lose a match on clay this year, but has never beaten Świątek.

If Świątek manages to reach the quarterfinals, she will have to overcome Svitolina or Belinda Bencic. Svitolina has beaten Świątek in their last two meetings, although the latter came out on top when they met at the French Open last year.

Another tough test could await Świątek in the semifinals against Rybakina. Their rivalry is locked in at 6-6, although Świątek did defeat the world No. 2 at Roland Garros last year.

Coco Gauff’s Path to French Open Title

Gauff heads into the French Open as the defending champion and will be determined to continue her impressive run of form on clay after making the final in Rome. The American is seeded fourth in Paris and will face compatriot Taylor Townsend in her opener. Their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour came in 2019, and it was the doubles specialist who triumphed in three sets.

Dalma Gálfi could be Gauff’s second-round opponent, with Katie Boulter or the in-form Anastasia Potapova awaiting her in the third round. Potapova is firing on all cylinders at the moment and has beaten Gauff twice in their four meetings.

If Gauff makes it through to the fourth round, she could be in for another tough assignment against Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anna Kalinskaya, or Loïs Boisson. In the quarterfinals, Anisimova, Qinwen Zheng, or Nosková could stand in Gauff’s way.

Nosková defeated Gauff in Madrid, and Anisimova holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead against her compatriot. Sabalenka, Pegula, or Mboko could be Gauff’s possible opponents in the semifinals.

Looking at the draw, it appears that Sabalenka could well have the tougher assignments en route to the French Open finals. The world No. 1 will have to overcome several household names if she wants to quell worries about her clay-court form.

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Świątek’s path to the final also includes several big names, including Ostapenko, Kostyuk, and Svitolina. She will certainly have to fight her way past a number of top players if she wants to make another deep run in Paris.

Gauff and Rybakina certainly appear to have the advantage on paper, as their paths to the semifinals seem comparatively smoother. However, anything can happen on clay, and the French Open is undoubtedly the hardest Grand Slam to predict.