Only once in a blue moon will we not have Serena Williams in a Grand Slam women’s singles draw, so the rest of the WTA Tour field is basically up-in-the-air as for who’s the outright favorite to win this year’s French Open.
Having said that, let’s find out below as for who the experts from around the web expect will make a solid run at Roland Garros and possibly win the title after the Parisian clay courts’ dust has settled.
2017 French Open Women’s Singles Expert Predictions
James Dudko of Bleacher Report put the spotlight on Simona Halep (+325), who went on a 10-match win streak on clay leading up to the French Open.
Although the 25-year-old Romanian would have that streak come to an end at the hands of Elina Svitolina (more on her below) at the recently-concluded Italian Open, Dudko still believes strongly that Halep is at the top of the WTA Tour class entering Roland Garros, especially with defending French Open Champion, Garbine Muguruza, suffering a minor neck injury in the semifinal round in Rome.
Topspin Times
Over at TopSpin Times (courtesy of Johnny Allen Tennis), three other players join the ranks of Halep as front-runners to win at Roland Garros: Angelique Kerber (+800), Garbine Muguruza (+650) and Karolina Pliskova (+1,000).
The site mentioned that a berth into the final round of Roland Garros is the one that Kerber has yet to experience in terms of Grand Slam tournaments. With no Serena Williams in this year’s field, this is the most-opportune time for the World No. 1 to not only accomplish such a feat and create more separation in the world rankings, but also hopefully win the entire tournament altogether.
Meanwhile, reigning French Open champion Muguruza is on a quest to become the first female tennis player since Justine Henin in 2007 to win consecutive titles at Roland Garros. The standout Spaniard best recover from her ailing neck at that, and hope that she avoids meeting Pliskova, who has a lifetime head-to-head record of 6-1 against her, in the early stages of the tournament.
Sports Chat Place
Randy Chambers of Sports Chat Place, like Bleacher Report and Topspin Times, sided with Halep and Muguruza as two of his top-five leading candidates to win the French Open. His three other picks were Venus Williams (+2,000), Elina Svitolina (+1,200) and Johanna Konta (+2,000).
Of the three names, Svitolina poses as the toughest challenge to the WTA Tour’s heavyweights. The 22-year-old Ukranian had just beaten Halep for the Italian Open title and now has eight wins over top-10 opponents dating back to last season, including going a perfect 3-0 against Kerber this 2017.
Williams and Konta, on the other hand, have not had the best of results on clay, which would explain their longer odds. Then again, Williams found herself at this year’s Australian Open before falling to her sibling Serena, so a return to a Grand Slam final isn’t out of the question at all. British sensation Konta, meanwhile, is having her best professional season yet, going an impressive 20-3 this season with a win at Miami and having a quarterfinal appearance at the Aussie Open under her belt.
