World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, the current champion, is set to compete for her fifth Roland Garros title next month. She will be joined by all of the Top 100 players from this week`s WTA rankings at the major clay-court tournament.
The official list of participants for the second Grand Slam of the year was released on Tuesday. Swiatek will face strong competition from players aiming to take her crown and win their first Roland Garros title. These contenders include World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, former finalist and World No. 4 Coco Gauff, last year`s runner-up and No. 6 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva. Andreeva made a significant impact last year, becoming the youngest Roland Garros semifinalist in 27 years.
The initial lineup includes four players entering the main draw with protected rankings. Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion and two-time Roland Garros semifinalist, is a notable entrant. She is planning to play her first Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open after becoming a mother last July. Also using protected rankings to enter are Sorana Cirstea, a former Roland Garros quarterfinalist, Jodie Burrage, and Yanina Wickmayer.
Burrage, using a special ranking of No. 85, is anticipated to make her debut in the Roland Garros main draw.
Alexandra Eala from the Philippines is also expected to make her Paris debut. Her first WTA 1000 semifinal appearance at the Miami Open last month secured her direct entry into a Grand Slam main draw for the first time. Australian 18-year-old Maya Joint, the second youngest player in the Top 100 after Mirra Andreeva, and Colombian No. 2 Emiliana Arango, are also set to compete. Arango, after ten previous Grand Slam qualifying attempts, broke into the Top 100 by reaching her first WTA 500 final in Mexico earlier this year.
Currently, World No. 100 Robin Montgomery is the last direct acceptance into the main draw.
The first 15 alternates for the main draw, in case of withdrawals, are:
- Yuan Yue
- Taylor Townsend
- Yuliia Starodubtseva
- Aoi Ito
- Wang Yafan
- Kaja Juvan (using a special ranking of No. 105)
- Rebecca Marino
- Anastasia Zakharova
- Leolia Jeanjean
- Solana Sierra
- Harriet Dart
- Aliaksandra Sasnovich
- Mananchaya Sawangkaew
- Nuria Parrizas Diaz
- Petra Martic
Eight wild card entries will be announced later to complete the main draw, which starts on May 25 and continues until June 8.
Rupert Caldwell