While the French Open men's singles could prove to be a cakewalk for ante-post favourite Jannik Sinner, it's a totally different story in the women's draw, with a raft of top performers vying for the clay-court crown.
Coco Gauff defends the title she won 12 months ago and the American could again go well, while Elena Rybakina has stepped up better than any WTA Tour player this year and won the Australian Open in January.
Iga Swiatek is hoping to return to former glories on clay, but while the Pole is playing well, returning to being a dominant force on the slow courts is not looking easy for the former world number one.
With Rybakina facing some potentially difficult early challenges in Paris this year, Sabalenka may have a big opportunity to win a fifth Grand Slam title and be crowned French Open queen for the first time.
Women's French Open Tips and Predictions
Outright Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka @ 11/5
Dark Horse Tip: Karolina Muchova @ 50/1
Expert Tip: Marta Kostyuk to win third quarter @ 9/2
Women's French Open Format
Each match in the women's singles competition is played over a best-of-three-sets format, with the main draw starting with 128 players and 32 of those being seeded.
The slow clay terrain usually leads to longer rallies, so stamina comes to the fore in the Grand Slam in the French capital and the eventual champion will need to win seven matches to take the title.
First-Round Matches to Watch
Iva Jovic vs Alexandra Eala
Iva Jovic has made an impressive start to her career, but the 18-year-old American may be vulnerable against Alexandra Eala.
The 21-year-old Filipino is one of the best players the Rafael Nadal Academy has ever produced and Eala's edge in terms of maturity could act as a big leveller in this opener.
It could be close, so don't be surprised if this one goes to a deciding set.
Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend
Gauff is many observers' fancy to retain her clay-court crown in the coming fortnight, but she will have to be on top of her game to deny fellow American Taylor Townsend.
The outsider has made real progress in the last couple of seasons, having originally appeared a limited performer, and any weakness in Gauff's game will be seized on by Townsend.
That said, Gauff should be savvy enough to realise the threat that her Paris opener throws up. And, after showing decent form in Rome recently, where she made the final, the favourite should prevail with a reasonable degree of comfort.
Jasmine Paolini vs Dayana Yastremska
Jasmine Paolini made the French Open final two years ago and, while the Italian is capable of brilliance on clay, she has not been starring in the way she would like in recent times.
Dayana Yastremska looks a dangerous first-round opponent. The Ukrainian plays well on any terrain and this match offers plenty of upset potential should Paolini not be fully tuned in from the outset.
Women's French Open Favourites
Sabalenka, who has yet to win a French Open singles crown, heads the betting at 11/5, closely followed by multiple Paris champion Swiatek at 13/5.
There is then a gap to defending champion Gauff at 13/2, with Australian Open heroine Rybakina 15/2 and Mirra Andreeva a 9/1 shot.
Recent Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina is 14/1, then Marta Kostyuk is 20/1, then it's 40/1 bar the top seven in the betting.
Data-Led Women's French Open Predictions & Analytics
Swiatek has won the French Open women's singles title in four of the last six years.
Of the women's top four and the first four in the betting for the French Open, only Australian Open champion Rybakina has won a title in this year's European clay-court swing and that came in Stuttgart in April.
Swiatek has appeared in the French Open women's final more times than any other market leader - the Pole has reached the title match four times.
Of the others, Gauff has made the Paris final twice, Sabalenka once, while Rybakina has yet to make it past the quarter-finals of the year's second Slam.
Women's French Open Outright Prediction
Sabalenka reached her first French Open final 12 months ago and it's the world number one who can go one step further in 2026.
The Belarusian has made the last eight at least in the last three years on the Parisian clay and she looks capable of finding more this year.
She faces a potentially tough opener against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but experience should help her to advance to the last 64, while some other seeds face even tougher-looking curtain-raisers.
Sabalenka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won twice at the Australian Open and the US Open.
All of her major titles have come on hardcourts, but she has shown enough ability and desire on clay to win at least one Slam on the slow terrain.
Dark Horses to Watch
Karolina Muchova could give each-way punters a decent run for their money.
The experienced Czech exited this competition in the first round last year, but on her previous trip to the Paris Slam, in 2023, she reached the final, where she made Swiatek pull out the stops.
Muchova, 29, has endured her fair share of injury woes down the years, but she looks pretty fit and healthy going into this year's second Slam and could enjoy a deep run in the tournament at a nice price.
Young Czech Linda Noskova and seasoned Swiss Belinda Bencic are two other big-priced players who might outrun their odds in Paris over the next two weeks.
Expert Tip
It's hardly a secret after this year's batch of clay results, but Marta Kostyuk may be ready to shine at Grand Slam level following back-to-back title triumphs in Rouen and Madrid in April and early May.
The Ukrainian has long been recognised as a player who could make life tough for the top brass, but her time may have arrived judging by her victory at the Magic Box on the Madrid clay.
There she beat, among others, Jessica Pegula, Noskova and, in the final, Andreeva, so Kostyuk is clearly going the right way and she looks a good bet to come through the third quarter of the draw.
Who Wins the Women's French Open?
As might be expected, this year's French Open looks likely to be a competitive tournament and the winner may well have to survive some close encounters.
Swiatek may not yet be back at the level which saw her win multiple Paris clay titles, so the oddsmakers may be right to place market favouritism on Sabalenka to join an illustrious list of French Open women's singles champions.
Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
