Iga Swiatek will continue her quest for a fourth consecutive French Open title on May 28 when she faces former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, as fellow title contenders Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz also take to the courts.
Swiatek, aiming to become the first woman since Suzanne Lenglen—over a century ago in 1922—to win four straight Roland Garros titles, comes into the tournament with something to prove. The Polish star hasn’t reached a WTA final since winning the French Open in 2024, and has dropped to No. 5 in the world rankings.
Despite the recent dip in form, the 23-year-old started her 2025 campaign in Paris with a commanding straight-sets win over Rebecca Sramkova. Up next is Britain’s Emma Raducanu—a familiar opponent. Swiatek has won all four of their previous matches without dropping a set.
“We know each other’s game well. I’ll need to be intense and stay focused on myself,” Swiatek said. With a 36–2 record at Roland Garros and an additional title win in 2020, she added, “She’s a US Open champion. She can definitely play great tennis. I’ll be ready.”
Raducanu, returning to the French Open for the first time since her 2022 debut, overcame illness to beat Wang Xinyu in the first round. However, she was heavily defeated by Swiatek 6–1, 6–0 in their last encounter at the Australian Open earlier this year.
“I think playing against top players is great for my development,” Raducanu said ahead of their match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “It’s a chance to go out there, test myself, and go for my shots. I know if I just push the ball, I’ll probably get eaten alive—I need to be aggressive.”
Swiatek’s lower seeding places her in the same half of the draw as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini, and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka made a powerful statement in her opener, dropping just one game against Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova. She’ll look to maintain that form when she faces Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann in the second round. The Belarusian, who has yet to reach a French Open final, is determined to move past last year’s quarter-final heartbreak at the hands of Mirra Andreeva.
Fourth seed Paolini, fresh off winning the Italian Open in Rome, will face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović, while China’s Zheng, who won Olympic gold on these same courts in 2024, takes on world No. 85 Emiliana Arango of Colombia.
