2019 WTA French Open - General Discussion

Who will win the French Open?

  • Osaka

  • Pliskova

  • Halep

  • Bertens

  • Kerber

  • Kvitova

  • Sloane

  • Barty?

  • Serena

  • Others?


Results are only viewable after voting.

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Lets do this, second slam of the year and a number of storylines to watch out for:

Will Serena finally match Court's slam record?
Can Osaka go back to back to back slams?
Can Angie win the career slam?
Could Bertens or Pliskova win their first slam?
Can Petra win her first slam outside of Wimbledon?
Who will leave Paris as number 1? Osaka, Pliskova, Bertens, Kvitova or Kerber?
Will someone else win the French Open?

The seeded players in order are:
Osaka, Pliskova, Halep, Bertens, Kerber, Kvitova, Stephens, Barty, Svitolina, Serena, Sabalenka, Sevastova, Wozniacki, Keys, Bencic, Wang, Kontaveit, Gorges, Muguruza, Mertens, Kasatkina, Andreescu, Vekic, Garcia, Hsieh, Konta, Tsurenko, Suarez Navarro, Sakkari, Buzarnescu, Martic and Sasnovich

Sharapova, Makarova and Giorgi so far are the withdrawals.

Halep is the defending champ with Sloane the defending finalist. In doubles Siniakova/Krejcikova are the defending champs.

As mentioned, 5 players are in the running for the #1 spot. Osaka in pole position and then Pliskova, Bertens, Kvitova and Kerber. Halep can't become #1 even if she defends the title.

Quite a lot of juicy 1R matches:

Ostapenko v Azarenka (2 former slam champs, the winner then gets #1 Osaka!)
Keys v Rodina (Rodina beat Keys at Wimbledon last year)
Halep v Tomljanovic
Tsurenko v Bouchard (haven't seen Genie since Miami)
Sabalenka v Cibulkova
Strycova v Stosur
Kvitova v Cirstea
Svitolina v Venus
Suarez Navarro v Yastremska
Gorges v Kanepi

Draw: https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/results/SD/1?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

OOP: https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/order-of-play

So, who you got winning the French Open?
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Draws for the players in contention for #1:

Good draw for Halep:

1R: Tomljanovic
2R: Paquet/Linette
3R: Tsurenko/Gavrilova
4R: Wang/Kasatkina
QF: Sabalenka/Kvitova
SF: Barty/Serena/Osaka

Not so great for Osaka:

1R: Schmiedlova
2R: Ostapenko/Azarenka
3R: Sakkari
4R: Keys/Garcia
QF: Serena/Barty
SF: Halep/Sabalenka/Petra

Ok for Bertens:

1R: Parmentier
2R: Cornet/Kuzmova
3R: Konta
4R: Vekic/Bencic
QF: Sloane/Muguruza/Venus/Svitolina
SF: Kerber/Wozniacki/Pliskova

Average for Pliskova:

1R: Brengle
2R: Kuznetsova
3R: Martic/Mladenovic
4R: Wozniacki/Gorges/Kanepi
QF: Kerber/Sevastova/Carla
SF: Bertens/Bencic/Sloane/Svitolina/Venus/Garbie

Kerber has a decent draw although clay has never been her best surface:

1R: Potapova
2R: Wang/Vondrousova
3R: Yastremska/Suarez Navarro
4R: Mertens/Sevastova
QF: Wozniacki/Pliskova
SF: Bertens/Bencic/Venus/Svitolina/Muguruza/Sloane
 

TagUrIt

Hall of Fame
Julia will ALWAYS be my pick because she my favorite player, but I’m not convinced that she’s a 100% recovered from her injury.

Even though Halep lost the last two finals I think Simona is due. To even make it that far in back to back tournaments is quite the accomplishment in itself. She’ll take Roland Garros.
 

romeo8880

G.O.A.T.
Julia will ALWAYS be my pick because she my favorite player, but I’m not convinced that she’s a 100% recovered from her injury.

Even though Halep lost the last two finals I think Simona is due. To even make it that far in back to back tournaments is quite the accomplishment in itself. She’ll take Roland Garros.


Julia?
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Osaka has tough draw or could be sorry draw for her opponents especially Azarenka.
I initially was going to write her off given her lack of clay form over her few years but perhaps she’s going to turn out to be one of those players who majors at the majors and then doesn’t care about other tournaments. Easy to forget she’s on a 14 match winning streak at slams.
 

skyline

Legend
Osaka hasn’t had a half-bad clay season. She won’t win imo but I think she might put in a decent result/make it to 2nd week.

I favor Halep for the title.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Osaka hasn’t had a half-bad clay season. She won’t win imo but I think she might put in a decent result/make it to 2nd week.

I favor Halep for the title.
If she can get past Azarenka/Ostapenko in the 2R she should be able to make the QF where we'd get a juicy rematch with Osaka. I don't think Vika or Ostapenko will pose too much of a threat but you never know at slams. So easy to forget Ostapenko won the title just 2 years ago.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
I've gone Serena with my vote.

She's 19-3 at slams since her comeback

Her draw is decent:
R1: Diatchenko
R2: Nara/Jakupovic
R3: Andreescu/Kenin
R4: Barty/Hsieh
QF: Osaka/Garcia/Keys
SF: Halep/Sabalenka/Kontaveit/Kvitova
F: Sloane/Garbie/Venus/Bencic/Bertens/Kerber/Pliskova

In theory she should easily make it to the QF. Andreescu won't be a threat in the 3R as she hasn't played since Miami, Serena beat Barty here last year so the 4R should be fine. QF is where it gets interesting against Osaka or someone else. As for the SF, Serena beat Halep at the Aus Open so I can see her beating Halep in the SF. If it's Petra in the SF then my god that would be an exciting match.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
We could lose a number of seeds early on:

Obvious one is Venus over #9 Svitolina in the 1R.
Less likely but still putting it down is Azarenka/Ostapenko over #1 Osaka in the 2R.
Wouldn't have thought i'd say this but because of last week, #26 Konta over #4 Bertens potentially in the 3R. Jo beat Kiki in Rome to make the final.
Vondrousova over #5 Kerber in the 2R.
 

Enceladus

Legend
I've gone Serena with my vote.

She's 19-3 at slams since her comeback

Her draw is decent:
R1: Diatchenko
R2: Nara/Jakupovic
R3: Andreescu/Kenin
R4: Barty/Hsieh
QF: Osaka/Garcia/Keys
SF: Halep/Sabalenka/Kontaveit/Kvitova
F: Sloane/Garbie/Venus/Bencic/Bertens/Kerber/Pliskova

In theory she should easily make it to the QF. Andreescu won't be a threat in the 3R as she hasn't played since Miami, Serena beat Barty here last year so the 4R should be fine. QF is where it gets interesting against Osaka or someone else. As for the SF, Serena beat Halep at the Aus Open so I can see her beating Halep in the SF. If it's Petra in the SF then my god that would be an exciting match.
It is possible, but I don't think it will happen, respectively. if it comes to SF Serena-Halep, Halep should win because the clay is her strongest surface, while for Serena the weakest.
 

Enceladus

Legend
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Pliskova and Bertens have a chance to profit the 1st place of the WTA ranking if they advance to the final, Kerber and Kvitova only when they win the title. Halep have not chance to become No. 1 after RG 2019.
 

FakeEmpire

Professional
As for the SF, Serena beat Halep at the Aus Open so I can see her beating Halep in the SF. If it's Petra in the SF then my god that would be an exciting match.

As @Enceladus pointed out, I don't think that conclusion is that straightforward. Clay is Halep's best surface and Serena's "worse" (if by worse, we mean she has "only" won 3 slam titles playing on it), whereas AO and hardcourts have always been a (very) happy hunting ground for Serena and a harder prospect for Halep with more and tougher competition. Besides that, Halep is clearly in better physical shape and has a lot more preparation for the FO than Serena, who may found it very hard to crank up her level in her worst surface with barely any match play on it.

Anyway, I'm betting on Bertens to win it, but I'd love to see Bencic lifting the trophy.

And then there's also this: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/ill-...till-looking-ahead-after-home-farewell-prague
Lucie does deserve a strong and sweet ending.
 

skyline

Legend
I don’t think Serena is healthy enough to put together 7 matches in a row. Injuries are a real issue considering her age.
 

spystud

Talk Tennis Guru
ESPN:

Patrick McEnroe: Simona Halep.

Chris Evert: Halep is the most solid and fresh, finally.

Brad Gilbert: The women's winner feels completely wide open. It could be 15 different winners, but I will take a shot at Kiki Bertens.

Cliff Drysdale: Halep. Happy feet, great mover. Pressure is off. Has been there, done that.

Pam Shriver: I would be happy with picking and stating why any one of the top 15 ranked women can win in Paris. Since Petra Kvitova has been playing consistently well and can hit through a damp, cold clay court, I will pick her to win her first major outside of Wimbledon.

Darren Cahill: Halep. She is playing her favorite major and always feels confident on the courts at Roland Garros. She loves the atmosphere of Paris and will be tough to beat in what is a wide-open event.

Rennae Stubbs: Halep. I think that once the tournament gets going and she gets her teeth into it again, she will show once and for all why her tennis on clay is the best. I don't think her form is strong enough to say she is the overwhelming favorite, but if I had to pick one, it's her. And like Nadal, she knows what it feels like to win in Paris.

Peter Bodo: Bertens. The pressure on defending champ Halep will be too much for her to bear. Bertens, a late bloomer who has come into her own, showed a lot of game -- and mental strength -- in the spring clay season.

Bonnie Ford: Sloane Stephens. Refreshed by her coaching switch, and it's hard to imagine anyone more motivated if she gets to the final.

Alyssa Roenigk: Halep. The defending French Open champ has seen the final at Roland Garros over the past two years. So far on the red stuff this season, she reached the final in Madrid and lost her opening-round match in Rome. She finds her footing in France and makes a run toward her first title of 2019.

D'Arcy Maine: Bertens is quite possibly playing her best tennis right now. The Dutch star is one of just three players to have won multiple tournaments during the fickle 2019 season. Currently ranked a career-high No. 4 in the world, the 27-year-old knocked off four Grand Slam winners, including Halep in the final, to win her first Premier Mandatory title at the Madrid Open earlier this month, then followed that up with a semifinal run at the Italian Open. With Halep showing some vulnerabilities amid the expectations, three-time champion Serena Williams having played just one match on clay leading into the tournament, surging Petra Kvitova dealing with a calf injury and reigning US Open and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka not exactly a specialist on the surface, this Grand Slam feels like it is anyone's title to win. Bertens reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2016, and with momentum very much on her side this time around, she looks poised to have a lengthy stay in Paris.

Tom Hamilton: Halep has yet to win a tournament this year, but she is still the player to beat at Roland Garros. She will feel strangely at ease in Paris as reigning champion, and her premature exit in Rome could work to her favor, as she will be well-rested for Paris.

Jerry Bembry: Eight different women have won the past nine Slams, which shows the parity in the women's field. But look for Halep, who is probably the best women's clay-court player in the world today, to defend her 2018 French Open title despite her recent disappointing outing in Rome.

Simon Cambers: Kvitova. She is the in-form player on tour, and if she can survive her usual nerves in the first couple of rounds, she will be hugely dangerous.
 

elkwood

Hall of Fame
Svitolina? Bertens? Barty? Pliskova? Who else?

I am thinking that we have 3 very good Dark Horses Garcia/ Kiki M could
and i really think the Girl no one wants to face is Yastremska She been playing great tennis.

In my heart i want Halep to win i just not thinking that she got enough in her tank to pull it off right now.
 

Duncan Donuts

Professional
Winner: Belinda Bencic!!! Idk

Dark Horse: Petra Martic to make the QF

Early Upset: Svitolina, Osaka and pliskova will all fail to make the 4th round IMO.
 

Raindogs

Hall of Fame
Taylor Townsend giving Muguroofa all she can handle early, as she seemingly struggles to get her big sleds moving on the red clay.
 

fundrazer

G.O.A.T.
I accidentally set my alarm for 5pm instead of 5am, but I'm awake and watching now.

Feel like she should be destroying Townsend... Serving to stay in the set instead.
 

Raindogs

Hall of Fame
Garbine doing a whole lot of reaching instead of getting those big flippers of hers in position. Major upset brewing here.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
I truly don't understand Townsend. I feel like I only hear/see her at the slams. Despite being inside the top 100 she's spent the last month playing ITF tournaments and losing. Two weeks ago she was playing an ITF tournament and was bagelled by Osuigwe in the QF.

Yet here she is on one of the biggest courts up a set against the 2016 French Open champ... weird
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Upset #1 of the tournament done and dusted

18 year old Potapova knocks out #5 Angie Kerber 6-4 6-2.

Her first of what i'm sure will be many top 10 wins in her career.
 
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