The French Open is one of the most prestigious women’s tennis tournaments. It is the only Grand Slam event played on clay courts, meaning it takes a special type of tennis player to win at the Stade Roland Garros.
This year’s event will take place from May 23 to June 13. It will welcome lots of top-quality players looking to follow in the footsteps of Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Margaret Court, Justin Henin, and Serena Williams. Chris Evert, the legendary American tennis star, won the tournament a record seven times, and her achievement is so impressive that even the best clay-court players of today have failed to come close to it.
However, one player with a chance to do that is the young Polish tennis prodigy, Iga Swiatek. Swiatek is still only 19 years old but has already won her first WTA French Open. With time on her side, she is definitely on course to mount a challenge to Evert and win her fair share of French Open trophies in the years to come. Let’s look at her chances of winning this year’s event, as well as who her main rivals might be.
Can Iga Swiatek Win the French Open Again?
Iga Swiatek was impressive in last year’s WTA French Open. If you look at the WTA French Open scores from last year, you will see that Swiatek won the tournament without losing a set. Also, if you watched her play during the entire event, you probably saw that her French Open triumph was never in doubt. The Polish youngster was in a league of her own during the tournament and didn’t get complacent for one second.
She was particularly impressive in the final against Sofia Kenin, a match she won 2-0 (6-4, 6-1). However, she was equally ruthless in her other duels. She brushed the likes of Nadia Podoroska, Martina Trevisan, Simona Halep, and Eugenie Bouchard with relative ease too.
Can Petra Kvitova Win Her First French Open?
The excellent Petra Kvitova has always been a force to be reckoned with, but, surprisingly, she has never won the French Open and has never been in a Roland Garros final. The two-time Wimbledon winner did play in the French Open semifinal last year, though, and could have easily played against Swiatek in the final.
If you followed the Petra Kvitova live score and stats of that match, you would have noticed that she came very close to winning both sets. However, luck was not on her side during that match, and at the end of the day, it was Sofia Kenin who would face Swiatek in the final.
The fact that Kvitova is yet to win a French Open will motivate her to try hard and build on her last year’s performance. Maybe this time, fortune will finally favor her, and she will play her first Roland Garros final in her illustrious career.
Will Ashleigh Barty Win Her Second French Open?
One of the players that have had the most impressive WTA French Open scores recently is Ashleigh Barty. The diminutive Australian won the prestigious Grand Slam event in 2019 and would have probably been among the top contenders to win the 2020 tournament if she took part in it. Barty missed the 2020 WTA French Open due to coronavirus and joined the likes of Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, who have also pulled out of the 2020 Roland Garros.
And that was a shame. Barty had some magnificent performances in the 2019 French Open event. Her 2-0 (6-1, 6-3) victory in the final against the Czech Vondrousova was one of the most emphatic triumphs in recent French Open memory.
If Barty plays at the WTA French Open 2021, and she probably will barring a last-minute injury, she will be one of the top contenders to win the trophy, and you won’t make a mistake if you back her.
Main Photo from Getty.
