2026 French Open action gets underway on Sunday with nearly one-third of the women’s slate scheduled to hit the red clay in Paris. Among them, Francesca Jones squares off against former world No. 10 Beatriz Haddad Maia. Nurein Ahmed, Ilemona Onekutu, and Tope Oke offer their insights. But who will advance?
French Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions
Sinja Kraus vs Belinda Bencic
Nurein
Kraus enjoyed a dominant final qualifying win against Anna-Lena Friedsam, but she faces Belinda Bencic who is very at the top of her game. I’ll take Bencic’s experience to overwhelm the Austrian.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
Ilemona
Kraus has had limited exposure at this level, and this is a significant step up in class for the young Austrian. Bencic enters as the 11th seed, returning to the French Open for the first time in three years following her maternity comeback. The Swiss made a remarkable return to the tour last October and, beginning the 2025 season ranked 489th, steadily rebuilt her game to the point of reaching a Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. Her experience and quality at this level are simply too much for Kraus to handle here.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
Tope
Belinda Bencic thrives when the spotlight is brightest, and Roland-Garros offers exactly the kind of stage that tends to sharpen her focus although she is still chasing a deeper run at a tournament that has so far stalled at the third round. Sinja Kraus, meanwhile, has earned her place the hard way, surviving two draining three-setters in qualifying but this is a different altitude entirely. Bencic should be physically refreshed and competitively stung, and that combination usually spells trouble. Expect Kraus to compete in spells, but over the full stretch, Bencic’s weight of shot and big-stage authority should tell.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
Hailey Baptiste vs Barbora Krejcikova
Nurein
This is as tough as it can get for both women. It’s a popcorn first round match. Baptiste had a sensational win over Sabalenka this swing and her heavy ball should cause Krejcikova plenty of problems. The Czech hasn’t found enough rhythm to convince me that she will win this match.
Prediction: Baptiste in 3
Ilemona
Krejcikova is 3-0 lifetime against Baptiste heading into this match, which gives the 2021 Roland Garros champion a useful psychological edge. On clay this season. Hailey Baptiste has shown good fight and some strong results recently, but consistency has been an issue. Krejcikova’s variety and court craft should help her control the points better here.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Tope
Former champion Barbora Krejčíková opens her 2026 French Open campaign against a dangerous first-round test in Hailey Baptiste, and this has all the ingredients of a tight battle. The Czech arrives off a near three-month lay-off but has quietly rebuilt rhythm in Rome while Baptiste comes in full of belief after a breakout Madrid semi-final run that included statement wins over Paolini, Bencic and Sabalenka. Add in the American’s straight-sets win in their only previous meeting in Wuhan, and the upset chatter feels justified
Prediction: Baptiste in 3
Ksenia Efremova vs Sorana Cirstea
Nurein
Efremova is talented and will enjoy the crowd support as the home player, but this is a difficult Slam debut matchup. Cirstea is having an outstanding season and hits through clay courts extremely well and brings far more experience in these types of matches.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Ilemona
Cirstea has enjoyed a strong clay season in what she has announced as her farewell year on tour, confirming this is very much a live version of the Romanian rather than a nostalgic sendoff. She won the Transylvania Open title earlier this year without dropping a set, demonstrating she still has plenty left in the tank. Efremova is a talented junior-level prospect but faces a vastly more experienced operator on red clay. Cirstea’s ability to mix pace and angles on the surface should be too much for the young wildcard.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Tope
Sorana Cirstea arrives in Paris with momentum and mileage on her side, armed with the kind of clay-court savvy that only 17 previous Roland-Garros appearances can bring. Across the net, Ksenia Efremova steps into her first main-draw French Open at just 17, all explosive movement and raw athletic upside, but still learning the rhythm and punishment of Grand Slam tennis. It’s a classic collision of experience versus emergence and Cirstea’s ability to manage tempo, absorb pressure, and extend rallies on clay should blunt the teenager’s energy spikes over time.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Francesca Jones vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Nurein
Wins have been hard to come by for Haddad Maia this season and it is tough to see the Brazilian changing her fortunes here. Fran Jones is a gritty clay-court competitor who extends rallies well and right now she is facing an out-of-form opponent.
Prediction: Jones in 2
Ilemona
Beatriz Haddad Maia has a strong clay pedigree and loves the long rallies on this surface. Francesca Jones has been putting together some solid results and can hit big from the back, but clay isn’t always her best surface. Haddad Maia’s lefty serve and movement should give her the advantage in extended points.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
Tope
Fran Jones arrives at the French Open with a quiet sense of momentum built from the lower-tier clay circuit, where runs to the latter stages in Istanbul 125 and Wiesbaden W100 have steadied a season that’s otherwise lacked tour-level wins. Still, her ranking slide from a February peak tells its own story, and she’ll need to summon something extra to trouble a player like Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian hasn’t found a main-draw win all year, but clay has never been unfamiliar territory, and this feels like the kind of match where form starts to bend toward pedigree. Expect a scrappy contest early, before Haddad Maia’s heavier game eventually tips the balance and finally gets her season moving in Paris.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
