Who is the firm favourite to win the French Open woman's title this year? A question that has remained a tough one to answer for the fans this time around. Two of the most dominant French Open champs Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will miss out on action at the Roland Garros this season which makes the tournament wide open. With Serena expecting the birth of her first child, she won’t be seen on the tennis court atleast till the start of next year. Whereas current world number 178, Sharapova was denied a wild card to the tournament after her return on tour in April after serving a 15-month doping ban.
In the previous five editions of the tournament both Serena and Sharapova won the title two times which goes on to prove that the absence of these two stars will definitely be missed at Roland Garros. The absence of mentioned champs will only turn out to be an added advantage for the young stars who are desperate to script their name on the French Open title. With this being said let us take a look at the rising stars to watch out for at Roland Garros.
Name: Elina Svitolina
Age: 22
Turned Pro: 2010
Current Ranking: 6
Strength: Strong Serve
The 22-year-old Ukrainian is definitely one of the players to watch out for this French Open as she comes into the tournament having lifted the Italian Open just a few days back. Svitolina is currently playing the best tennis of her life having won four prestigious tournaments this year which includes Taiwan Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, İstanbul Cup and Italian Open with the last two titles coming on clay courts.
Svitolina has put up a dominant show in the season thus far registering 31 wins and just six losses. After breaking into the top 50 of WTA rankings in 2013 where she finished at number 40, Svitolina has only went on to do better by finishing in top 30 and top 20 in consecutive seasons. Having won the French Open girls' singles title in 2010 she will be hoping to replicate the same success at senior level this French Open.
Name: Madison Keys
Age: 22
Turned Pro: 2009
Current Ranking: 13
Strength: Strong Serve
Madison Keys won her first WTA match when she was just 14-years-old which speaks volumes about her determination to achieve success at the top level. The young Americans broke into the top 10 of WTA rankings last year and was ranked as high as world number seven, but her momentum was cut short due to a surgery she had to undergo in her left wrist during the start of the year. This resulted in her missing out Australian Open and other tournaments for the following two months.
She returned to tour in March but has not managed to produce the best of results, crashing out of tournaments at early stages. Keys managed to win just three of the eight matches this season with her last title coming way back in June 2016 at Birmingham. Despite a silent season she manages to instill fear in her opponents. Keys who had appointed former world number one Lindsay Davenport as her coach for a second term will be hoping to make a comeback at the French Open to prove her critics wrong.
Name: Kristina Mladenovic
Age: 24
Turned Pro: NA
Current Ranking: 14
Strength: Forehand
The last time a Frenchwoman lifted the Roland Garros was way back in 2000 when Mary Pierce defeated rival Conchita Martinez in straight sets. The fans will be rooting for the top-seeded French star Kristina Mladenovic when she takes onto court at the French Open this time around. Mladenovic is from a prolific sporting family where both her parents played handball professionally and her brother Luka Mladenovic an aspiring footballer.
Much is expected from Mladenovic after making a mark in the 2017 season, rising to a career high ranking of 14 after winning her first WTA singles title at St. Petersburg and making it to clay-court finals of Mexican Open, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Madrid Open. Mladenovic is one of the very few to establish herself as both singles as well as a doubles player. She is currently ranked fifth in doubles and also held onto the coveted French Open doubles trophy along with partner Caroline Garcia last year. Mladenovic has also clinched 16 WTA doubles titles in addition to winning two mixed doubles Grand Slams.
After breaking into the top 30 rankings for the first time in 2015 she had maintained a study run on tour balancing her career in both singles and doubles. With 27 wins from 37 matches this season the fans will pin their hopes on Mladenovic to lift the Roland Garros in both singles as well as doubles this year.
Name: Daria Kasatkina
Age: 20
Turned Pro: 2014
Current Ranking: 28
Strength: Forehand
In 2014 Daria Kasatkina won the French Open girls' singles title and three years fast-forward she is ranked 28 and is ready to take on the top stars. The current season has proven to be a blissful one for the young Russian as she went on to defeat current world number one Angelique Kerber at two different events (Sydney Open and Qatar Ladies Open). In April she won her first WTA title at Volvo Car Open and one can expect her to be the dark horse at this years French Open.
Despite first round losses at Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome, Kasatkina is considered as a tough competitor as she has stepped up during the Grand Slams with consistent performances. Having won 13 of the 24 matches she played this season she will be hoping to do better compared to last year where she made it to the third round at the French Open.
Name: Ana Konjuh
Age: 19
Turned Pro: 2014
Current Ranking: 30
Strength: Forehand
The 19-year-old Croatian is the youngest seeded player at the Roland Garros this year which provides a clear indication about the accolades of Ana Konjuh. When she defeated Monica Niculescu at the final of Aegon Nottingham Open in 2015 Konjuh became the youngest player since 2006 to win a WTA title. Konjuh played 20 matches this season and ended on the winning side on 11 occasions.
The young Croatian is brewing with confidence after making it to the final of ASB Classic in January and registering successive wins over top ranked players Samantha Stosur and Elena Vesnina at the WTA Dubai Open in February this year. She also clinched a stunning straight set win over world number eight Johanna Konta at the Fed Cup. The 19-year-old Konjuh will be determined to put up a dominant show at French Open to make a strong statement.