7. Jessica Pegula — The Relentless American
WTA Rank: 5
Previous Power Ranking: 6
Pegula is the most underrated player in women’s tennis when it comes to the French Open conversation, and she has been proving a point all season. At 32 years old she is playing the best tennis of her career, winning Dubai and Charleston and reaching the quarterfinals or better at every event she has entered this year, outside of Madrid. She did reach the Madrid final back in 2022, which confirms that her game translates well to the surface even if the Grand Slam breakthrough has always been the missing piece. She is steady, she is experienced, and she rarely gives opponents anything for free. In a two-week tournament, those qualities compound.
8. Karolina Muchova — Finally Healthy, Finally Dangerous
WTA Rank: 10
Previous Power Ranking: Not ranked
Muchova’s career has been defined by the question of what she might accomplish if her body would simply cooperate. In 2026, it has. She is unbeaten against players ranked outside the top four this season, with her only losses coming against Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff, all forgivable. A WTA 1000 title in Doha and semifinal runs in Brisbane and Miami confirm that this is a player genuinely competing at the top of the game. She reached the French Open final in 2023 and demonstrated that her one-handed backhand, her variety, and her ability to construct points differently than most players on Tour make her a nightmare match-up on slow red clay. When healthy, she is a genuine threat. Right now, she is healthy.
9. Linda Noskova — Power From the Back
WTA Rank: 12
Previous Power Ranking: Not ranked
Noskova is one of the more fascinating young players in the women’s game, and Roland Garros suits her better than her ranking suggests. The Czech hits the ball as hard as almost anyone on Tour and her ability to redirect pace and hit through the court from deep positions makes her a handful for players who like to control rallies from the baseline. Quarterfinal runr in Stuttgart and Madrid this clay swing pushed her further up the rankings, and she arrives in Paris having proven she can compete over the course of a full tournament rather than simply producing isolated upsets. At a Grand Slam where big-hitting can override a lack of surface-specific pedigree in ways that do not happen at smaller events, Noskova’s ceiling is higher than her seeding implies.
10. Iva Jovic — The Fearless American Teenager
WTA Rank: 17
Previous Power Ranking: Not ranked
Jovic rounds out these WTA Power Rankings as the player most likely to cause chaos from a seeding nobody will fear. She reached a career-high ranking of World #16 in March, a rapid ascent for a teenager who appears utterly unbothered by the size of the occasion she is playing in. Her game is built on aggressive ball-striking and a refusal to play defensively regardless of who is across the net. That mindset is simultaneously her greatest weapon and her biggest vulnerability as it wins her matches she has no business winning and loses her matches she should close out. At Roland Garros, where the tournament is long enough to survive an off day, she has the tools to go deep. And she is young enough not to know she is supposed to find it difficult.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
