French Open 2022: 5 favorites to win the women's singles title ft. Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur
The 2022 French Open is just around the corner and excitement levels for the second Grand Slam of the season are through the roof.
Barbora Krejcikova is the defending champion in singles and doubles. Unfortunately for her, she hasn't competed since the Qatar Open in February due to an injury. Given her lack of matchplay, it's hard to see her making a deep run in Paris this time around.
Anasatasia Pavlyuchenkova, the runner-up last year, has pulled out of the tournament and is set to miss the rest of the season.
Former French Open champions Garbine Muguruza and Jelena Ostapenko arrive in Paris in terrible form. The Spaniard hasn't won consecutive matches this season on clay, while Ostapenko is on a five-match losing streak.
Angelique Kerber just needs to win the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, but the German has lost in the first round in each of the last three years.
Naomi Osaka made headlines last year when she withdrew from the tournament due to mental health reasons. She seems to be in a much better headspace now as she guns for her fifth Grand Slam title.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is obviously the overwhelming favorite to win the title given her recent results. Top-10 players Paula Badosa, Anett Kontaveit and Aryna Sabalenka are looking for their maiden Grand Slam triumph, but have been rather inconsistent in the lead-up to the French Open.
Here are five players who could slide their way to the 2022 French Open title:
#5) Maria Sakkari
Last year, Maria Sakkari came quite close to making it to the title round of the French Open. Competing in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal, she held a match point against Barbora Krejcikova, but failed to get across the finish line.
Sakkari has been one of the most consistent performers over the last year or so, making a number of deep runs in tournaments. Her clay season hasn't been up to the mark, however, with a quarter-final appearance at the Italian Open being her best result so far.
But the Greek remains a threat on the surface. The only thing stopping Sakkari from taking the next step is herself. She has faltered frequently towards the business end of events, but if she's able to get her nerves under control, she could have a shot at winning the title.
#4) Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova's best result at a Grand Slam remains her semi-final run at the 2019 French Open. This year, her performances on the red dirt have singled her out as a potential winner in Paris.
Anisimova started off by reaching the semifinals of the Charleston Open, going down to Ons Jabeur in three sets. At the Madrid Open, she knocked out defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the first round and defeated former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the third round. She eventually fell to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals.
Anisimova continued her fine run of form at the Italian Open as well. She defeated Tereza Martincova, Belinda Bencic and 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins to reach the last eight. Up against Sabalenka once again, she lost to the Belarusian for the first time, having won all four of their previous encounters.
Anisimova's consistency and form at the moment make her a player to watch out for at the French Open. She'll take on Naomi Osaka in the first round and could meet Sakkari in the third round.
#3) Simona Halep
After runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2017, Simona Halep finally tasted Grand Slam glory at the French Open in 2018. The Romanian's resume on clay always makes her a title contender in Paris. Last year, she was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
Halep has had reasonably consistent results throughout the season. After reaching the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open, she missed the next few tournaments due to injury. Halep returned to action at the Madrid Open, where she lost to eventual champion Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals. Danielle Collins defeated her in the second round of the Italian Open.
But considering her past record in Paris, it's hard to count her out. Her draw is rather tricky, with Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek being her potential third and fourth-round opponents respectively. But if she's able to get her teeth into the draw, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see her lift the trophy in two weeks' time.
#2) Ons Jabeur
Jabeur's rise to the top has been one of the feel-good stories of the past year. This season, the Tunisian trailblazer has firmly established herself as one of the elites with her consistent results.
Jabeur started her clay season with a runner-up finish at the Charleston Open, going down to Belinda Bencic in the final. She then lost a tough three-setter against Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open.
Dreams do come true 🏆😍
I love you all!! 🙏🇹🇳
Thank you Madrid, thank you to everyone who came and supported me. I am so grateful. Thank you to my familly and to the best team: Karim, Issam & Mélanie, you guys are amazing! ❤️ https://t.co/3Bge7Qvr6G
Jabeur won the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, defeating the likes of Bencic, Halep and Jessica Pegula en route to the title. She continued her fine run of form at the Italian Open, where she reached the final. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek ended her streak of 11 straight wins.
Nevertheless, Jabeur is playing at a very high level. She has made the fourth round at the French Open the last couple of years and there's a strong possibility that she could go all the way this time around. With Swiatek in the other half of the draw, the Tunisian will be heavily favored to reach the final.
#1) Iga Swiatek
Everyone on the WTA tour has played second fiddle to Iga Swiatek over the last few months. The World No. 1 has remained undefeated since the end of February. She has won five titles in a row (four at the WTA 1000 level), including two on clay.
Swiatek is currently riding a 28-match winning streak. No other player since Serena Williams has dominated the WTA tour in such fashion in recent times. She has brushed aside her competition with consummate ease, dropping just five sets since she began her unbeaten run. During the clay season, she lost just one set against Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open.
@iga_swiatek DEFENDS her title in Rome and extends her win streak to 28!! mic drop 🫳🎤
🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek DEFENDS her title in Rome and extends her win streak to 28!! 🏆
#IBI22 https://t.co/vWX95IhBLE
At this year's French Open, Swiatek could meet Samsonova again in the third round. Jelena Ostapenko and Simona Halep, both former Roland Garros champions, are her potential fourth-round adversaries.
Swiatek won her only Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open and at this point it seems inevitable that she'll win her second Major in Paris.
The 20-year-old has operated with laser sharp focus and determination. All signs point to her coronation as the French Open champion in a couple of weeks.