French Open Women's Draw: Predicting & Analyzing Possible Winners After Barty and Swiatek Exit

The 2022 French Open saw Iga Swiatek and Barty reign supreme, with the former winning her second Slam and the latter completing the Roland Garros double by winning the doubles title as well. However, this year's tournament may not yield a champion from their quarter of the draw, as both lost in the fourth round. Swiatek fell to 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko, while Barty was defeated by the formidable Caroline Garcia. This opens up a spot for a new champion in Paris. Here is an analysis of the top contenders remaining in the women's draw:

1. Jessica Pegula (Quarterfinalist) The American comes into Paris on a strong 11-match winning streak, having captured her first career title in Madrid and made the final in Rome. Pegula has been in impressive form on clay this season, reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid and the last 16 in Rome. Her victories this year over top players such as Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari demonstrate her ability to compete with the best. She will face an unseeded player, Karolina Muchova, in the quarterfinals. Muchova stunned world No. 1 Swiatek in the fourth round, so Pegula must be prepared for another tough test. If she can get through that, she has a great chance of reaching the final.
2. Coco Gauff (Quarterfinalist) Gauff has been on an absolute tear in Paris. The young American has yet to drop a set in the tournament and is coming off a monumental win against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round. Her explosive game is ideally suited to clay, and she has shown incredible maturity on the court for someone of her age. Gauff has a tough test ahead in the quarterfinals against an in-form Maria Sakkari, but if she can continue playing at this level, she will be incredibly tough to beat.
3. Maria Sakkari (Semifinalist) Sakari has been one of the most consistent players on tour over the past year. She reached the semifinals in Paris in 2022 and has continued to improve this season. She made the final in Madrid and reached the last eight in Rome. Sakkari has a powerful game that is well-suited to the clay, and she is excellent at bullying her opponents around the court. She has a tough matchup against Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, but if she can get through that, she will be the favorite to reach the final from that half of the draw.
4. Aryna Sabalenka (Semifinalist) Sabalenka has been in impressive form throughout the clay-court season, reaching the semifinals in Madrid and the last eight in Rome. The Belarusian has a powerful game that can overwhelm opponents on any surface, and her improved movement on clay has made her an even more dangerous player. She has yet to drop a set in Paris and has won all of her matches in straight sets. Her only loss came via retirement due to an ankle injury against Jessica Pegula in the Madrid semifinals. Sabalenka will face off against Victoria Azarenka, another former world No. 1 and major champion, in a mouth-watering quarterfinal match. The winner of that will likely face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
5. Caroline Garcia (Semifinalist) Garcia is having a breakout season in 2022, winning her first career title in Adelaide and following it up with a stellar clay-court season. She reached the last eight in both Madrid and Rome and has carried that form into Paris. So far, she has dropped only one set in the tournament and is coming off a decisive win against Barty in the fourth round. Her all-around game is looking sharp, and she is aggressively going for her shots. Garcia will face 2017 champion Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, but she will be the favorite in that matchup. If she can get through that, she will have a great chance of reaching the final. Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner are among the top contenders to win the Men's singles title at the 2024 French Open after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal exited the tournament. Zverev and Sinner are joined by Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, and others as possible winners in the men's field. After Djokovic's withdrawal, Jannik Sinner will be crowned world No. 1 on Monday.