Roland Garros 2021 preview: Barty and Swiatek for one throne

Finally the highly anticipated and upcoming Roland Garros 2021 is ready to excite fans, media and insiders: postponed by a week compared to the original date, but always between May and June, in women's singles there are many suitors, one less convincing than the another, for a single, uncertain throne.

Let's start with the certainties, which are basically two: Ashleigh Barty and last year champion Iga Swiatek seem to have something more than all the other on clay-courts. The results on this surface speak for themselves. All the others will have chances, because as we know women's tennis is unpredictable, but there are those who will struggle a lot on this surface.

Like Naomi Osaka, who is proving to be still incomplete and more effective on fast surfaces. Serena Williams has won three times in Paris, but this year the competition at Bois de Boulogne will be fierce, and Serena will have one more year of accumulated fatigue. The victory of the 24th Major at the Roland Garros 2021 seems beyond utopia.

Aryna Sabalenka may be the real outsider of the tournament: Belarus is showing good growth this season, and on clay-courts she is finding some good solutions. Considering that for Petra Kvitova the surface is anything but comfortable, Garbine Muguruza would have the weapons to fight but her tennis, in 2021, is still too fluctuating.

Roland Garros 2021 preview: Barty and Swiatek for one throne

Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina are not convincing, while the rise of Cori Gauff seems to be formidable. Could she be the real Parisian surprise? We know that Ashleigh Barty will see her in the first round with Bernarda Pera and that she could find Magda Linette right after. The problems could arise in the fourth round with Coco Gauff, fresh from the success in Parma among other thing, and presumably in the quarter-finals with one between Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals.

In the second quarter of the draw the finalist of the last edition, there is Sofia Kenin, who since last October has collected seven wins and eight defeats. The challenge with 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko is indecipherable, who had to wait until 2020 to return to win a handful of matches at the Roland Garros.

Serena Williams will still go on the hunt for the twenty-fourth pearl Slam in her career. Insidious the first round with Irina Begu and possibly the third with Angelique Kerber. In theory, the US champion could find Petra Kvitova in the second round. The most popular in the quarters could instead be Aryna Sabalenka and Viktoria Azarenka.

In the same portion of the draw also Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic. Obviously, Naomi Osaka closes the draw, who with the bowls completely stopped (despite the problems on clay-courts) could begin to have problems in the round of 16 with Kiki Bertens.

Roland Garros 2021 women's singles percentages:

Ashleigh Barty 40% Iga Swiatek 30% Aryna Sabalenka 20% Garbine Muguruza 10%

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SH9m8I