Ash Barty and Iga Swiatek are the French Open favorites, and they are in the same half of the draw, meaning they would meet in the semifinals.
Barty, the top seed and 2019 champion, skipped the 2020 tournament to remain in her native Australia during the coronavirus pandemic.
In her absence, Swiatek won the title last autumn as the world’s 54th-ranked player in the best combination of unheralded Grand Slam dominance in more than 40 years. Swiatek is seeded eighth.
Serena Williams, a three-time French Open champion (last in 2015), is in the opposite half as the No. 7 seed. She hasn’t reached the quarterfinals in Paris since returning from childbirth and could get No. 26 Angelique Kerber or 2020 French Open quarterfinalist Danielle Collins if she reaches the third round.
The top seed in Williams’ quarter is No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Williams in the fourth round of the Australian Open in February.
No. 24 seed Coco Gauff, at 17 the youngest woman to be seeded at a Slam since 2006, could face countrywoman Jennifer Brady, the 13th seed, in the third round. Barty is a potential fourth-round opponent.
No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka, who hasn’t made it past the third round in Paris, could get Spanish clay-court threat Paula Badosa in round three and Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champ, in the quarterfinals.
FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Men | Women | TV Schedule
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!
