Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek: Roland Garros women's draw packed with blockbuster clashes

PARIS: Unlike the men’s draw at Roland Garros, which, in the absence of two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, feels largely one-dimensional, the women’s field is stacked with genuine contenders.World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka begins her pursuit of a maiden French Open title against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but the road ahead quickly thickens. A potential round-of-16 clash against four-time major winner Naomi Osaka or teenage sensation Iva Jovic looms, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula shapes up as a likely quarterfinal opponent.Defending champion Coco Gauff is seeded to set up a rematch of last year’s final against Sabalenka in the semi-finals. Gauff opens against left-hander Taylor Townsend, while Amanda Anisimova, returning after a spell out with a wrist injury, could emerge as a quarterfinal threat.Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek, who anchors the top quarter of the bottom half, faces perhaps the most treacherous route of all if she is to add another Coupe Suzanne Lenglen to her collection. Jelena Ostapenko, who holds a commanding 6-0 head-to-head record over the Pole, could await in the third round. Marta Kostyuk is a possible fourth-round opponent, before a potential rematch with Elina Svitolina, who beat Swiatek in a bruising WTA 1000 semi-final in Rome.Second seed Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, possesses the firepower to blast through the draw, but the section around her is hardly forgiving. The 2021 champion Barbora Krejcikova and former finalists Jasmine Paolini and Karolina Muchova are lurking nearby ahead of a possible quarterfinal showdown with eighth seed Mirra Andreeva.