TENNIS
Roland Garros women’s preview 2023
May 28, 2023 - June 11, 2023 - Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, takes place in Paris, France. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka returns to Roland Garros after strengthening her title credentials with a recent victory over clay court queen Iga Swiatek in the Madrid final.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek is aiming to recover from a thigh injury suffered in Rome in a bid to defend her Paris crown -- the Pole has been imperious on clay courts since winning her first Roland Garros title in 2020.
Arnya Sabalenka is hoping to build on her maiden major in Melbourne and improve on her faltering third round best in Paris. She will face tough opposition for the title from Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff, who is yet to truly fulfil her Grand Slam potential having reached the final of both the singles and doubles here last year.
The Roland Garros women’s field is famously unpredictable -- two-time winner Swiatek became the lowest-ranked woman to take the title in 2020, before No.33 Krejcikova completed a rapid rise to hoist the trophy in 2021.