The French Open is just around the corner, and with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury, there will be a new name added to the list of men’s singles champions this year.
Alcaraz is missing out due to a wrist problem, but over in the WTA draw, Coco Gauff is getting ready to defend her crown.
Gauff has headed to Rome for some final tune-ups before heading to Paris. She’s part of a strong field at the Italian Open, which includes plenty of other top players.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are also in action in Rome. Iga Swiatek rounds out the top four players who have made their way to Italy for the event.
Swiatek and Rybakina included in French Open top picks
Querrey revealed his fourth and third picks for the Roland Garros crown on Tennis Channel, saying: “Okay this was tough, especially after last week, the semifinals we got in Madrid.
“My number four is last week’s champion Marta Kostyuk. How can you not put her at four? She won last week, she also won the previous week. And it’s the way she played last week too. She ran through the draw.
“Number three, I have who she beat in the final, Mirra Andreeva. Little more consistent on the clay over the years, been pretty much a consistent top 10 player. So she’s in my number three spot right now.”
Austin then weighed in with her own selections: “Well, and this was the one that we’ve been rallying with, is I have to put Iga Swiatek.
“And unfortunately, I put her at number four, because I don’t believe that Iga has been to a semi since all the way last September of a tournament.
“So she’s losing earlier, but she’s won Roland Garros four times, and she’s won Rome three times. She’s got a new coach, Francisco Roig.
“It was so new before Stuttgart, where she lost early. Maybe a few more weeks in, they’ve worked on her serve.
Austin continued: “And also, when you walk into a place where you’ve won four times, I think she’s going to get that good feeling. So that’s number four.
She added: “Then Rybakina is my number three. I think people forget that she won here in Rome. And Rybakina has won 27 matches already this year. And then she won Stuttgart, she won Stuttgart on clay.
“She beat Andreeva, by the way, in straight sets, and then she also beat [Karolina] Muchova. What’s great about it is there are so many players you can put in this top four.”
Sabalenka backed as top pick by Querrey and Austin ahead of Roland Garros
Returning to the topic of French Open favourites, Querrey stuck with last year’s top two finalists for his current picks.
“Top two, last year’s defending champion, Coco Gauff,” he said. “The results have been a little inconsistent for her, but she had the run in Miami, right?
“She’s been playing better lately, and she’s the defending champion there, and I still feel like clay is her best surface. So she’s my number two.
“And number one, who else? Sabalenka, right? She’s been number one in the world now for a couple years. She’s been so dominant, really on all surfaces.
“I know she didn’t win Roland Garros last year, but that match in the final, windy day, was it was a battle, but I still feel like she is the favorite heading into Roland Garros.”
Austin added: “This kills me and I love it at the same time is I agree with Sam on both of those.
“But I think Coco, because she moves so well on the surface, she can lift that forehand and kind of extract mistakes, plays so well with her movement.
“And then Sabalenka, I think that she is a better player this year. She mentally lost that match last year because of the wind, and she got down on herself. I think she’s improved in that area.”
The Belarusian has certainly maintained her form at the top level. Sabalenka is spending her 82nd straight week as world No 1 while competing in Rome.
This remarkable stretch should give her plenty of confidence heading into Paris, while Gauff will also be buoyed by that hard-fought comeback win in 2025.
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