Who is the top women’s seed heading into Roland-Garros this year? What are the other women’s French Open seeds in 2024?
The second Grand Slam of the year is here, and we’ve got the answers to all these questions below. Come with us as we do a deep dive into the women’s draw, analysing the top four seeds in detail, and giving a full rundown of all 32 women’s seeds at Roland-Garros.
Not only that, but we’ll also be looking at which women’s seeds have been upset, and some unseeded players that have made deep runs in 2024.
Throw in a look at the top British women at the French Open too, and we’ve got all you need to know about the women’s French Open seeds this year.
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Top Women’s French Open Seeds in 2024
This fortnight in Paris, 128 women play their way down to one champion at the women’s French Open 2024.
In order to make the tournament as balanced and fair as possible, all Grand Slams organise their draws in a way that ensures the best players clash later on in the event.
This is achieved through seeding, with the top 32 players in the WTA ranking being given seeds at the French Open.
Here’s a breakdown of the top four seeds heading into this year’s women’s French Open.
1. Iga Swiatek – In Semi-Finals
Headlining the women’s draw in Paris is two-time defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
The Pole sits miles above the rest of the pack in terms of her clay court credentials and previous success at this tournament. She also came into Roland-Garros riding some handy form.
In the year to date, Swiatek has a 38-4 win-loss ratio. She’s claimed titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, plus led Poland to the finals of the United Cup in January. So far in the European clay court swing she’s dropped just the one match, losing to Elena Rybakina in a deciding set during the semi-finals of the Stuttgart WTA 500 in April.
Swiatek was the bookies’ favourite heading into the French Open, and for good reason. Her last loss here came three years ago, and she’s looking virtually untouchable on clay once again in 2024.
Here's how the top seed's French Open has unfolded so far, and what the remainder of her run to the trophy might look like:
- R1 – Defeated Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
- R2 – Defeated Naomi Osaka 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5
- R3 – Defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
- Round of 16 – Defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
- Quarter-final – Defeated Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
- Semi-final – Coco Gauff
- Final – Mirra Andreeva / Jasimine Paolini
Swiatek’s first match was on Monday against Leolia Jeanjean on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros, which she won in an hour. Her next, however, was an epic against Naomi Osaka, with the top seed saving a match point to escape.
Since then, Swiatek has been on cruise control. The Pole raced past Marie Bouzkova, Anatasia Potapova and Market Vondrousova for the loss of just eight games. She even executed an impressive double bagel against Potapova!
Swiatek's next challenge is Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, which will play on Thursday.
2. Aryna Sabalenka – Eliminated in Quarter-Finals
Seeded second and placed in the bottom half of the draw at the French Open was Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka won the year’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne, and came to Paris as a defending semi-finalist for the first time in her career. The world No 2 is 25-7 for the year, having begun in fine form with a final in Brisbane and a title at the Australian Open.
The Belarusian then hit a quiet patch across the Middle Eastern and North American swing, going 4-4 across her next four events. However, she rekindled her form in 2024 at the back end of the European clay court swing, making two consecutive finals in Madrid and Rome–losing both to Swiatek.
Upset in the quarter-finals, here's what Sabalenka's tournament looked like:
- R1 – Defeated Erika Andreeva 6-1, 6-2
- R2 – Defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-2, 6-2
- R3 – Defeated Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-1
- Round of 16 – Defeated Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-3
- Quarter-final – Lost to Mirra Andreeva 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4
Sabalenka’s first match was on Tuesday at Roland-Garros against Erika Andreeva, which she won in straight sets. She then won in straight sets again on Thursday, defeating Moyula Uchijima to make the third round.
Paula Badosa and Emma Navarro suffered the same fate in rounds three and four, going down in straight sets. Mirra Andreeva, however, was a different story.
The 17-year-old Russian came back from a set down against Sabalenka, knocking out the No. 2 seed in the quarter-finals. Afterwards, Sabalenka shared that she had been feeling sick for several days prior to the match.
3. Coco Gauff – In Semi-Finals
Leading the American effort in Paris is third seed Coco Gauff.
After having a red-hot end to 2023, Gauff had cooled down somewhat in 2024. The 20-year-old was 25-8 with one title coming into Paris, taking out the ASB Classic at the start of the year. She’s been solid, however, making semi-finals in Melbourne, Indian Wells and Rome.
Roland-Garros is Gauff’s second-best Slam after the US Open. Two years ago she made the final here as a teenager, and has made the quarter-finals on two separate occasions as well. She thrives on the slow-paced clay, able to utilise her phenomenal movement and defensive game to wear opponents down.
Here's how Gauff’s French Open has unfolded so far, and what her path to the title looks like:
- R1 – Defeated Julia Avdeeva 6-1, 6-1
- R2 – Defeated Tamara Zidansek 6-3, 6-4
- R3 – Defeated Daria Yastremska 6-2, 6-4
- Round of 16 – Defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto – 6-1, 6-2
- Quarter-final – Defeated Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
- Semi-final – Iga Swiatek
- Final – Mirra Andreeva / Jasmine Paolini
Gauff got her French Open campaign underway last Monday against Julia Avdeeva, winning in just 52 minutes. She was just as impressive in her next match, racing past Tamara Zidansek in straights too.
Her following two matches unfolded in similar fashion – straight sets, barely challenged – against Daria Yastremska and Elisabetta Cocciaretto. She was pushed in her quarter-final, however, with Ons Jabeur winning the opening set before Gauff powered back to win in three.
Things are about to get a whole lot tougher for the American though, as she faced world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-final on Thursday.
4. Elena Rybakina – Eliminated in Quarter-Finals
Rounding out the top four women’s seed at the 2024 French Open is Kazakh Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina doesn’t have a fantastic record at Roland-Garros, having made the quarter-finals just once in five main draw appearances. Her past two results have been third-round exits. However, the 24-year-old was 30-5 on the year with three titles coming into Paris, so she fancied her chances of a career-best run here.
The No. 4 seed opted not to play in the most recent WTA 1000 event in Rome. However, she was running well on European clay prior to that. Rybakina won the title in Stuttgart, handing Swiatek one of her two losses this year en route to the trophy. She also made the semi-finals of Madrid, losing in a deciding set tiebreak to Sabalenka.
Prior to clay, Rybakina was red-hot on hard courts. She won titles in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi, also making the final of Doha and Miami.
Rybakina was unable to carry her form all the way here at Roland-Garros, with the fourth seed losing in the quarter-finals. Here's how her tournament unfolded:
- R1 – Defeated Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3
- R2 – Defeated Arantxa Rus 6-3, 6-4
- R3 – Defeated Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2
- Round of 16 – Defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3
- Quarter-final – Lost to Jasmine Paolini
Rybakina’s first match was last Tuesday at Roland-Garros, where she defeated Greet Minnen in straight sets. She backed that up with another straight forward victory over Aranxta Rus on Thursday to make the third round.
The Kazakh's strong form continued with two more straight set wins over Elise Mertens and Elina Svitolina in the third and fourth rounds. However, the challenge of Jasmine Paolini proved too much for her, with the Italian overcoming her in three sets.
Women’s French Open Seeds Full List
You’ve seen our detailed breakdown of the top four women’s French Open seeds for 2024. However, there are 32 seeds in total across the women’s draw. Here’s the complete list:
- Iga Swiatek
- Aryna Sabalenka – LOST QF
- Coco Gauff
- Elena Rybakina – LOST QF
- Marketa Vondrousova – LOST QF
- Maria Sakkari – LOST R1
- Qinwen Zheng – LOST R3
- Ons Jabeur – LOST QF
- Danielle Collins – LOST R2
- Jelena Ostapenko – LOST R2
- Madison Keys – LOST R3
- Daria Kasatkina – LOST R2
- Beatriz Haddad Maia – LOST R1
- Jasmine Paolini
- Liudmila Samsonova – LOST R3
- Ekaterina Alexandrova – LOST R1
- Elina Svitolina – LOST Ro16
- Marta Kostyuk – LOST R2
- Victoria Azarenka – LOST R2
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – LOST R2
- Carolina Garcia – LOST R2
- Emma Navarro – LOST Ro16
- Anna Kalinskaya – LOST R2
- Barbora Krecikova – LOST R1
- Elise Mertens – LOST R3
- Katie Boulter – LOST R1
- Linda Noskova – LOST R2
- Sorana Cirstea – LOST R1
- Veronika Kudermetova – LOST R1
- Dayana Yastremska – LOST R3
- Katerina Siniakova – LOST R2
- Leylah Fernandez – LOST R3
These are the 32 women seeded at the 2024 French Open, with seven falling in the first round of play, 10 in the second round, six in the third, two in the Round of 16 and four in the quarter-finals so far.
Which British Women Are Playing in the 2024 French Open?
There are just two British players competing in the 2024 women’s French Open:
- Katie Boulter
- Harriet Dart
Unfortunately, both lost in the opening round.
Boulter was seeded, with the 27-year-old claiming the No. 26 seed at Roland-Garros. She had a tough ask in the opening round, however, facing off against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa in the first round. Boulter made a strong start, winning the opening set 6-4. Badosa fought back, however, winning the next two 7-5, 6-5 to knock out the No. 26 seed.
World No. 90 Harriet Dart had a challenging first-round clash, with the 27-year-old taking on No. 27 seed Linda Noskova in her opening match. She went down 7-6(3), 6-4 on Monday.
Which Women’s French Open Seeds Were Upset in 2024?
Seeding is a strong indication of how players will perform, but it’s not everything. In fact, it’s highly unlikely that all 32 seeds will make their way through the first week of any Grand Slam. Usually, there are some upsets. Of the 2024 French Open women’s seeds, here are some of the biggest upsets so far:
- Maria Sakkari (6) – LOST R1
- Caroline Garcia (21) – LOST R2
- Barbora Krejcikova (24) – LOST R1
- Veronika Kudermetova (29) – LOST R1
- Aryna Sabalenka (2) – LOST QF
Maria Sakkari had been in strong form this year, building her ranking back up to No. 7 in the world. However, the Greek has a penchant for underperforming at Grand Slams in recent years. It’s been more than two years since she last passed the third round in a major, with her last four Slams being three first-round and one second-round exit.
Turns out that trend continued, as Sakkari lost in the first round to Varvara Gracheva, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Barbora Krejcikova, Carolina Garcia Veronika Kudermetova all crashed out early in the French Open too.
Perhaps the biggest upset, however, was No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka falling in the quarter-finals. While the quarter-finals is a respectable result, Sabalenka was strong picked to make the final.
Teenager Mirra Andreeva sent her packing in three sets on Wednesday, causing the biggest upset of the women's draw so far.
Which Unseeded Players Have Done the Best in the 2024 French Open?
Just as some seeded players flop, unseeded players can outperform their ranking. Here’s who has done that in 2024:
- Vavara Gracheva
- Mirra Andreeva
Frenchwoman Vavara Gracheva, ranked No. 88 in the world, did well to make it through to the Round of 16 at Roland-Garros this year. She upset Maria Sakkari in her run, causing the draw to open up for her.
However, the biggest run by an unseeded player is teenager Mirra Andreeva. The Russian is ranked No 38 in the world, but has so far sent Victoria Azarenka, the No. 19 seed, and Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, out of the French Open.
Teenager Mirra Andreeva is always a danger at Grand Slams. Still only 17 years old, Andreeva has made the round of 16 in two majors already, getting as far as the third round in Paris last year. She comes to Roland-Garros at No. 38 in the world, missing out on getting a seeding narrowly. With wins over multiple top 10 players already in 2024, she’s one to watch.
Agree with our predictions? Check out our overall winner predictions for the French Open 2024 see the best bets to place on these players to net a big return. Don’t forget to look at the analysis we’ve done for the men’s French Open seeds too.