Aryna Sabalenka appeared dominant when the clay-court season began last month, but as the world number one arrives in Paris for her latest attempt to win Roland Garros, signs of vulnerability have begun to emerge in her dominance of the women’s tour.

The four-time Grand Slam champion still leads her closest rivals by more than 1,000 ranking points, yet her main focus over the next two weeks will be to go one step further than last year’s runner-up finish in the French capital, where she lost in three sets to Coco Gauff, News.Az reports, citing AFP.

If her ambitions heading into the tournament, which begins on Sunday, are similar to those of men’s world number one Jannik Sinner—who is also chasing a first title on the Paris clay—then Sabalenka’s previously commanding hold over her competitors now appears significantly less overwhelming than that of the Italian.

When Sabalenka dominated the Sunshine Double at the WTA 1000 hard-court events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, she had won three of the four tournaments she had entered that season, with the only setback being a three-set loss to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.

Arriving in Madrid for the start of the European clay swing on a 15-match winning streak, it seemed that very little would prevent her from capturing a fourth career title at the Caja Magica as she prepared for the French Open.

However, a quarter-final defeat to 30th seed Hailey Baptiste ended her hopes in Spain, and she then suffered another setback at the Italian Open, where she lost in the third round to a resurgent Sorana Cirstea. Afterwards, Sabalenka admitted she felt as though “my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level”.

“I guess we never lose; we only learn, so it’s OK,” Sabalenka said after exiting a WTA 1000 tournament at the round-of-32 stage for the first time since February 2025.

With the 28-year-old top seed now appearing uncertain on clay, the draw once again seems wide open.

Elena Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in last season’s WTA Finals final and again in Melbourne in January to claim her second Grand Slam title, will be among the main contenders despite never having progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

The Kazakh world number two has arguably been one of the standout players on tour this season alongside Sabalenka, and last month won the indoor clay event in Stuttgart, although she also endured disappointing runs in Madrid and Rome.

Iga Swiatek, once regarded as the “queen of clay”, has recently shown glimpses of the form that previously carried her to world number one and four Roland Garros titles in the early 2020s.

Since her last triumph in Paris two years ago, the 24-year-old has struggled for consistency, but she will be hoping that her new partnership with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig can help her rediscover her best tennis on the surface she once dominated.

Defending champion Coco Gauff will also be determined to retain her title, with the world number four entering the tournament after a strong run in Rome that ultimately ended in defeat in the final against in-form Elina Svitolina.

The 31-year-old Ukrainian has already won two titles this year, including her first WTA 1000 crown in eight years at the Italian Open, and will be confident of a deep run in Paris after reaching the quarter-finals there for the fifth time in her career last year.

“(Winning Rome) gives me a lot of confidence. Gives me a good look at Roland Garros,” Svitolina said.

“But… there are really tough players. You cannot underestimate them. You need to be ready for the first-round matches, big battles. Everybody’s there to beat you.”

Alongside Svitolina, Madrid Open winner Marta Kostyuk, rising talents Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko, as well as Amanda Anisimova, are viewed as potential dark horses for a maiden Grand Slam title.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev