The French Open begins Sunday, with loads of intrigue. Iga Swiatek has received the previous three titles in a row, however did not make the finals in any of the three clay tournaments she entered this spring. In the meantime, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are trying as ready as ever.
On the boys’s aspect, all indicators level to a Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner showdown, however who will prevail? Alcaraz is the defending French Open champion, whereas Sinner received the Australian and US Open — the previous two Grand Slam titles.
We polled our specialists for his or her picks to win, and for his or her greatest betting ideas.
Who do you assume will win the ladies’s singles title, and why?
Pam Shriver: It is a top-heavy girls’s draw that’s anchored by Sabalenka, who continues to be my choose to win her first Roland Garros. Sabalenka by far has been the very best participant over the previous 12 months, profitable many clutch matches. The participant who appears to profit most from being on the weaker backside half is Gauff, who continues to battle together with her forehand and serve typically in necessary matches. If these two susceptible pictures maintain up late within the event, Gauff may stroll away together with her second main. Regardless of Swiatek’s dominance at Roland Garros prior to now few years, I do not see her as one in every of my two picks.
Invoice Connelly: Sabalenka. She’s simply all the time there within the late rounds. She has reached six finals in her eight occasions in 2025, and she or he has reached the finals in 5 of her previous eight Slams as nicely. It feels odd going towards Swiatek, however it’s extra that I am going for the world No. 1.
D’Arcy Maine: Gauff. She has proved simply how good she might be on clay prior to now and had sturdy outcomes at Roland Garros beforehand, however it seems like she’s higher than ever on the floor with a 10-2 document within the month of Could alone. She reached the ultimate in Madrid with straight-sets victories over Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic, after which completely dismantled Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 within the semifinals. Gauff then went on to succeed in the Italian Open last, with wins over Andreeva, Emma Raducanu and Zheng Qinwen (in over three and a half hours!) alongside the best way. She has come away trophy-less in Europe to this point this season however that ought to change in Paris.
Tom Hamilton: Apologies for being predictable, however I will go for Swiatek. She has this Rafa Nadal-esque means of throwing kind and logic apart, to string collectively one thing exceptional on the Parisian clay. Jasmine Paolini has a good shot, as do Sabalenka, Andreeva and Gauff, however Swiatek will find yourself getting her fifth Roland Garros title.
Simon Cambers: I believe it is going to be Paolini. The expertise of reaching the ultimate final yr and most lately profitable Rome bodes nicely for her possibilities, and she or he has no cause to concern anybody, particularly with Swiatek susceptible this yr.
Who do you assume will win the boys’s singles title, and why?
Shriver: It looks as if we may see our first main last between Sinner and Alcaraz. Even with Sinner’s three months off serving the suspension, Rome proved the 2 gamers who’ve received all of the majors the previous 18 months are at the moment the very best two gamers on the planet. Alcaraz is the favourite to defend his title to win his fifth main. Alcaraz has been making smarter tactical selections on the court docket as he matures. His health appears to be peaking too.
Connelly: Sinner. If we find yourself with a Sinner-Alcaraz last, give me Alcaraz, however I believe Sinner’s extra prone to get to the ultimate. He has the extra manageable draw, and Alcaraz continues to be vulnerable to earlier-round glitches at occasions — he fell to David Goffin in Miami, and he has misplaced 9 matches to gamers exterior the highest 10 prior to now yr. (Sinner: 41-0 towards gamers exterior the highest 10 prior to now yr.) Sinner discovered a powerful rhythm in Rome regardless of his prolonged absence/suspension, and he has received three of the previous 5 Slams. Make it 4 of six.
Maine: Alcaraz. Certain, Sinner wasn’t eligible to return to competitors till the Italian Open, however there was nobody on Alcaraz’s total degree or as constant this spring on clay. He received in Monte Carlo, reached the ultimate in Barcelona, after which defeated Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 within the Rome last. Seemingly at full well being after sitting out of Madrid with a hamstring damage and with momentum very a lot on his aspect, I totally anticipate the reigning champion to repeat at Roland Garros and win his fifth main title.
Hamilton: Alcaraz will win his second Roland Garros title. He is in nice kind, hitting peak health and is aware of what it takes to triumph on the Parisian clay. Sinner will push him shut, however Alcaraz is enjoying tennis at a special degree to anybody else in the intervening time.
Cambers: Alcaraz. He has the very best kind, having received Monte Carlo and Rome, and for me, he received final yr’s title with out ever fairly hitting the heights we all know he can. Absolutely match after damage, he has every part he must win a fifth slam title.
Betting ideas
Who’s your girls’s choose to win?
Pamela Maldonado: Mirra Andreeva +600. I stated way back she would win Roland Garros, so I’m sticking to that. Andreeva has the clay-court instincts, selection and shot tolerance to frustrate even the very best. Sabalenka brings the facility and Swiatek owns this floor, however Andreeva’s means to soak up tempo, redirect and prolong rallies makes her an actual menace to each. She lately beat them back-to-back in Indian Wells and seemed fully unfazed. On this floor, together with her really feel and composure, she’s constructed to shock the sphere.
Andre Snellings: Iga Swiatek +325. Swiatek is having a down season and is seeded fifth within the event, her lowest seeding in Paris in years. However that is Roland Garros, and Swiatek reigns supreme at Roland Garros. She has received 4 of the previous 5 French Open championships, together with three in a row. Whereas her play this season has been scratchy by her requirements, Swiatek nonetheless made the semifinals on the Australian Open and in three of the six WTA 1000 degree tournaments she has entered this season. A few of her current losses, together with on clay, could have shaken her confidence a bit, however as soon as she will get on the pink clay at Roland Garros I anticipate her to seek out her degree and win her fifth championship.
Who’s your males’s choose to win?
Maldonado: Carlos Alcaraz at +115 is the choose to win as a result of nobody matches his mix of athleticism, creativity and endurance on clay. He simply received in Rome, dropping just one set the whole event and beating Sinner in straight units within the last. Plus, Alcaraz is already a Slam champion in Paris and has the uncommon means to adapt mid-match with out shedding depth. His motion on the floor is elite, his shotmaking is fearless and his self-discipline in five-set battles is past his years. He isn’t simply the favourite; he is probably the most full participant within the subject.
Snellings: Carlos Alcaraz +105. Alcaraz enters this French Open because the defending champion and favourite. He and rival Sinner have received the previous 5 consecutive majors, and with Djokovic having a down season, the impression is that there’s a hole between Alcaraz and Sinner and the remainder of the sphere. After profitable final yr’s French Open, Alcaraz additionally received the silver medal in males’s singles on the 2024 Summer season Olympics that had been performed at Roland Garros. And Alcaraz is having a scorching season on clay, with a 15-1 win-loss document that features championship wins at each ATP 1000 degree occasions he has performed on clay at Monte-Carlo and the Italian Open. Alcaraz defeated Sinner to win the latter.
What’s your greatest guess for the ladies’s aspect and why?
Maldonado: Not a wager you’ll find, however one I might take a giant chunk of: Iga Swiatek to not win Roland Garros. 35-2 total in six appearances and 4 French Open titles. If she would not win, it is not a knock on her expertise, it is a reflection of her uneven season. She has had flashes of dominance however hasn’t sustained it. She misplaced to Ostapenko in Stuttgart, Gauff in Madrid and Collins in Rome, all in matches the place she seemed a step off rhythm or flat in key moments. Certain, she’s able to find her greatest tennis in Paris, however the query is whether or not she truly will. This yr, she hasn’t proven the identical aura of inevitability, and in a draw this deep, that is an issue.
Snellings: Mirra Andreeva to succeed in the ultimate +240. Andreeva is among the most enjoyable younger gamers on the tour, getting into this season’s French Open at solely 18 years outdated. Final yr, at 17, she superior to the semifinals on the French Open for her greatest end at a significant whereas defeating Sabalenka alongside the best way. She additionally teamed with Diana Shnaider to win the silver medal on the 2024 Olympics. Andreeva is a former world No. 1 junior, and this season received her first WTA 1000 championships at Dubai and Indian Wells. At this French Open, Andreeva is on the other half of the draw from each top-seeded Sabalenka and four-time French Open champion Swiatek, giving her a authentic path to the ultimate if she performs to her degree.
What’s your greatest guess for the boys’s aspect and why?
Maldonado: Jannik Sinner to win Quarter 1. Having Jack Draper in his quarter is horrifying on paper, however break it down. Sinner is 1-9 towards top-five opponents on clay. Draper is world No. 5. Context issues. These losses got here towards clay dominators: Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Zverev, Tsitsipas. They weren’t upsets however as a substitute they had been anticipated battles towards the perfect on their greatest floor. Draper, as gifted as he’s, is not in that tier but, particularly not on clay and never in best-of-five. Sinner is simply too clear, too constant, and in the very best type of his profession (12-1 in 2025).
Snellings: Novak Djokovic to succeed in the ultimate +450. Djokovic has had a down season as he has recovered from the damage that pressured him to withdraw from the Australian Open. However he’s nonetheless Novak Djokovic, and that is nonetheless a Grand Slam event, which he has received greater than any participant in historical past. Djokovic made solely the quarterfinals on the French final yr, however he has received two of the previous 4 French Open championships. He additionally received the Olympic gold medal at Roland Garros final summer season. If well being permits, Djokovic continues to be very harmful, and may very well be worth to make the ultimate at +450.
What’s your favourite lengthy shot guess to win the ladies’s title and why?
Maldonado: Jasmine Paolini +1400. She simply received the Italian Open, beating legit names similar to Gauff and Ostapenko, and she or he’s coming off a runner-up end eventually yr’s French. Her sport suits clay: It is sensible, affected person, powerful and she or he’s enjoying with confidence. Everybody’s watching Swiatek and Sabalenka, however Paolini’s sitting proper there with the shape and the draw to crash the celebration.
Snellings: Jasmine Paolini +1600. Paolini was a finalist on the French Open final season, succumbing to four-time champion Swiatek. Nonetheless it was a monster run for Paolini, who additionally made the ultimate at Wimbledon final season and paired with Sara Errani to win the gold medal in doubles within the 2024 Olympics. Paolini is the fourth seed on this yr’s French Open, a career-best seeding, and is available in having received a WTA 1000-level clay event within the Italian Open. Whereas I would not favor her to win, at 16-to-1 she is getting a variety of juice for a participant with this résumé and a authentic shot to take her first main.
What’s your favourite lengthy shot guess to win the boys’s title and why?
Maldonado: Alexander Zverev at +1400 is the lengthy shot value backing. His odds could not shout lengthy shot, however his path to victory actually does. It helps that he received Munich, however Zverev has the physicality, serve and backhand to thrive on clay over 5 units. His path is brutal with doubtlessly Cerundolo (0-3 head-to-head), Djokovic, and Sinner in his method, however he is constructed for grind-it-out matches and is battle-tested on this setting. If he holds his nerve, he has the sport to interrupt by means of and win his first Slam.
Snellings: Casper Ruud +2200. Ruud has quietly been among the finest clay-court gamers of the previous few years, however he was overshadowed by the larger names of Nadal, Djokovic and now Alcaraz. However Ruud has two finals and a semifinals look prior to now three French Opens, and has the chops to win the occasion if issues break nicely for him. Ruud enters the event enjoying nicely, having received the Madrid Open on clay earlier within the season. At 22-1, Ruud is powerful worth as a participant who may win at very lengthy odds.
