French Open 2025 Qualifying: Taylor Townsend vs Sara Saito preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Taylor Towsend vs Sara Saito
Date: May 19, 2025
Tournament: French Open 2025
Round: Qualifying (First round)
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: $2,550,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Taylor Townsend vs Sara Saito preview
One of the earliest qualifying matches at the 2025 French Open will feature sixth-seeded qualifier Taylor Townsend taking on Sara Saito. 2025 has not been a good year for Townsend in singles. The American endured first-round exits at the Australian Open and the Singapore Open and failed to qualify for the main draws in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Indian Wells.
The Miami Open was Townsend's most successful event, as she reached the third round as a qualifier with wins over the likes of Ann Li and Yulia Putintseva. She lost 1-6, 6-7 (3) against Zheng Qinwen in the third round. However, she has formed a formidable doubles pair with Katerina Siniakova, as the pair has already won the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships this year.
Sara Saito, meanwhile, has not entered any main draw events in 2025 so far, with the French Open being her third appearance in qualifiers this year. She previously played at the Australian Open qualifiers, losing 6-7 (4), 2-6 to Kimberly Birrell. The Japanese player also lost 1-6, 7-6 (1), 5-7 to Alexandra Eala in the qualifiers at the Singapore Open.
Saito has mostly played on the ITF circuit, winning a title in Kyoto with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Himenon Sakatsume in the final. However, she has not fared well on claycourts so far, having a 3-3 win/loss record on the surface from the three ITF events she has played in.
Taylor Townsend vs Sara Saito head-to-head
This is the first meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour.
Taylor Townsend vs Sara Saito odds
(Odds will be updated once available)
Taylor Townsend vs Sara Saito prediction
Townsend has a 43 percent win rate on clay courts in her career. She has no WTA singles titles on the surface, but her only Challenger final came on clay at the 2023 Firenze Ladies Open, where she lost 3-6, 5-7 against Jasmine Paolini. Tonswend has seven claycourt titles on the ITF circuit, the last of which came in Charleston in 2022 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Wang Xiyu in the final.
Sara Saito has yet to make a mark on the main Tour as the Japanese teenager has just begun her career. She has a claycourt title on the ITF Tour, winning the Open de Biarritz with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over Margaux Rouvroy in the final.
Townsend is the favorite to win the match as she is the seeded qualifier and has Grand Slam experience.
Pick- Townsend to win in straight sets