French Open 2024: Women's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more
The women's singles tournament at French Open 2024 promises a lot of exciting action across the two weeks in Paris. Iga Swiatek will enter the tournament as the defending champion after a hard-fought win over Karolina Muchova in the final.
The Pole will be vying for her third successive title at the clay Major and is in top form ahead of the tournament, winning back-to-back titles at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome. However, the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are capable of challenging Swiatek.
On that note, here's everything you need to know about the tournament.
What is the French Open?
The French Open is one of four Grand Slams in the tennis season but the only one played on clay. The inaugural edition of the tournament took place in 1897, with Adine Masson beating Suzanne Girod in the final.
Chris Evert is the most succesful female player in tournament history, with seven titles. The likes of Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova and Martina Navratilova are some of the other players who have also won the French Open.
Venue
The Stade Roland Garros is the venue for this season's edition of the claycourt Major.
Players and draw
Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek is the top seed at the 2024 edition of the claycourt Major and will face a qualifier or lucky loser in the first round. The Pole has been in scintillating form and is a heavy favorite to win her fourth title.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on teenager Erika Andreeva in the opening round, while third seed Coco Gauff will be up against a qualifier or lucky loser. Sabalenka comes to the French Open after final losses to Swiatek in Madrid and Rome, but she will be expected to have another good run after reaching the semifinals in 2023.
Gauff was the runner-up in 2022 and reached the quarterfinals in 2023. The American is among the top three seeds at the French Open for the first time and will look to have a deep run.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina will be up against Belgium's Greet Minnen, while fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova will face Rebeka Masarova. The likes of Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Jelena Ostapenko and Zheng Qinwen are also capable of doing well in Paris.
Schedule
The main draw of the women's singles event at French Open 2024 will start on Sunday, May 26, with the first-round matches going on till May 28. The quarterfinals will take place on June 4 and 5, while the semifinals will be held on June 6. The women's singles final at Roland Garros will take place on June 8.
Prize Money breakdown
The women's singles champion at this year's edition of the French Open will receive a prize money of €2,400,000, Here's the full prize money breakdown for the claycourt Major:
Where to watch?
Viewers from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and India can watch the proceedings in Paris on the following channels and sites:
United States - Tennis Channel
United Kingdom - Sky Sports
Australia - beIN Sports
Canada - TSN & DAZN
India- Tennis Channel