The French Open begins on Sunday and there are plenty of conspiracies. Iga Swiatek has won the last three titles in a row, but no finals were held in any of the three clay tournaments he participated in this spring. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are prepared just as before.
On the man’s side, all the signs refer to the sinner showdown of Carlos Alcaraz Giannik, but who wins? Alcaraz is the defending French Open champion, while Thinner won the Australian and US Opens. This is the past two Grand Slam titles.
We voted for experts to help their picks win and get tips on their best bets.
Who do you think will win the women’s singles title?
Pam Shriver: It’s a top women’s draw, still pinned by Sabalenka, a choice to win her first Roland Garros. Sabalenka has been far best player for the past 12 months and has won many clutch matches. The player who appears to benefit most from being in the weaker lower half is Gauff, who continues to struggle with her forehand and sometimes serves in important matches. If these two vulnerable shots were held later in the tournament, Gauff could have walked away with her second major. Despite Swiatek’s domination at Roland Garros over the past few years, I don’t see her as one of my two picks.
Bill Connelly: Sabalenka. She’s always there in the late rounds. She reached six finals in eight events in 2025, reaching the finals in five of her past eight slams. It feels strange to oppose Swiatek, but I’ll just go for The world’s No. 1.
D’Arcy Maine: Goff. She has proven how good she is in clay in the past, and previously had strong results with Roland Garros, but she feels she’s more on the surface than ever before with a 10-2 record in May alone. She reached the final in Madrid, winning straight sets over Mira Andreva and Belinda Bensik, and absolutely dismantling Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-finals. Gouf then reached the Italian Open Final, winning over Andreva, Emma Raducanu and Zheng Qinwen (over three and a half hours). She has left trophyless in Europe so far this season, but that should change in Paris.
Tom Hamilton: I apologize for being predictable, but I’ll go to Swiatek. She has this Rafa Nadal-esque ability to throw shape and logic aside to connect something amazing to Parisian clay. Jasmine Paolini has decent shots as well as Sabalenka, Andreva and Gouf, but Sweet will win her fifth Roland Garros title.
Simon Cambers: I think it’ll be a Paolini. The experience of reaching last year’s final and recently won Rome is a good foreshadowing for her chances, and there’s no reason to fear anyone, especially with the vulnerability of Swiatek this year.
Who do you think will win the men’s singles title?
Schreiber: It appears that you can see the first major final between the Sinner and Alcaraz. Even if the sinner spent three months on suspension, Roma has proven that the two players who won all majors in the past 18 months are currently the best two players in the world. Alkaraz is popular to win his fifth major to defend his title. Alkaraz has made more wiser tactical decisions in court as he matured. His fitness seems to be at its peak.
Connelly: sinner. If you are going to finish in the final of Sinner Alkaraz, please give me Alkaraz. However, I think there is a high chance that the sinner will advance to the finals. He has a more manageable draw, and Alcaraz is still prone to glitches in previous rounds – he fell to Miami’s David Goffin, who lost nine games against non-Top 10 players in the past year. (Sinner: 41-0 against non-Top 10 players in the past year.) The Sinner found a strong rhythm in Rome despite his long absence/stopping, and he has won three of his past five slams. I’ll make it four out of six.
main: Alcaraz. Certainly, the sinners were not eligible to return to the competition until the Italians opened, but no one was on the overall level of Alcaraz or the consistency of this spring in clay. He won at Monte Carlo and reached the final at Barcelona, beating 6-1, 6-1 in the Rome final. After sitting from Madrid with hamstring injuries and momentum, he appears to be in perfect health.
Hamilton: Alcaraz wins his second Roland Garros title. He’s in great shape, hitting peak fitness and knows what he needs to win in Paris’ clay. The sinner closes him, but Alkaraz plays tennis at a different level than the others at this point.
Camber: Alcaraz. He’s in top form with Monte Carlo and Roma, and for me he won last year’s title without hitting any heights that we know we can. Fully fit after an injury, he has everything he needs to win his fifth slam title.
Betting Tips
Who is choosing your woman to win?
Pamela Maldonado: Mirra Andreeva +600. I said a long time ago that she would beat Roland Garros, so I’m stuck with it. Andreeva has the instincts, versatility, and shot resistance to make even the best of it frustrating. Sabalenka brings power, and Swiatek owns this surface, but Andreeva’s ability to absorb, redirect and expand the pace makes her a real threat to both. She recently defeated them in a row at Indian wells, looking totally f-wow. On this surface, with her feel and calm, she is built to shock the field.
Second sense of smell: Iga Swiatek +325. Swiatek has been having a down season and has been seeded fifth in the tournament. But this is Roland Garros, and Sweet is the best ruler of Roland Garros. She has won four of the past five French Open Championships. Her play this season is plagued by her standards, but Swiatek still played semifinals at the Australian Open, taking place in three of the six WTA 1000 level tournaments he participated in this season. Some of her recent losses, including Clay, may have shaken her confidence a bit, but once she reaches the red clay at Roland Garros, I hope she finds her level and wins her fifth championship.
Who is chosen to win by your man?
Maldonado: +115 Carlos Alcaraz is a winning pick because it doesn’t match his blend of athleticism, creativity and endurance over clay. He just won in Rome, dropping just one set of the entire tournament and defeating the sinner in straight sets in the final. Moreover, Alcaraz is already a Paris slam champion and has the unusual ability to adapt during matches without losing strength. His superficial moves are elite, his shotmaking is fearless, and his discipline in five sets of battles is beyond his years. He’s not just a favorite. He is the most complete player on the field.
Smell: Carlos Alcaraz +105. Alcaraz will be his favorite in the French Open as a defending champion. He and his rival sinner have won the last five consecutive majors, and with Djokovic having a down season, there is an impression of a gap between Alkaraz and the sinner and the rest of the field. After winning the French Open last year, Alcaraz won a silver medal in the men’s singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics at Roland Garros. And Alcaraz is in a charred season with Clay, with a 15-1 victory record, including championship wins at ATP 1000 level events that he played with Clay at the Italian Open. Alkaraz defeated the sinner to acquire the latter.
What is the best way for women to do? What is the reason?
Maldonado: It’s not a bet you can find, but I’ll take a big sip so I don’t win Roland Garros. With six appearances, he was 35-2 overall, with four open titles in France. If she can’t win, it reflects her uneven season, rather than knocking on her talent. She had a flash of domination, but she didn’t keep it. She was defeated by Ostapenko in Stuttgart, Goff in Madrid and Collins in Rome. Certainly, she can find her best tennis in Paris, but the question is whether she actually does. This year, she has not shown the same aura of inevitability.
Smell: Mirra Andreeva reaches the final +240. Andreeva is one of the most exciting young players on the tour, taking part in this season’s French Open at just 18 years old. Last year, at age 17, she reached the French Open semi-finals for a best major finish while beating Sabalenka along the way. She also teamed up with Diana Schneider to win a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. Andreeva is the former world No. 1 junior and won his first WTA 1000 championship this season with Dubai and Indian Wells. At this French Open, Andreva is on the other side of the draw from both top seed Sabalenka and four-time French open champion Switek, giving her a legitimate path to the finals if she plays at her level.
What is the best thing for the boys? What is the reason?
Maldonado: Jannik Sinner won the quarter. Having Jack Draper in a quarter is scary on paper, but I’ll break it down. Thinner is 1-9 against Clay’s top five opponents. The draper is the fifth in the world. Context issues. These losses were to the rulers of clay: Nadal, Djokovic, Alkaraz, Zverev, Tsitzpas. They were not confused, but instead they were expected to fight against the best fight on their best surface. Draper is as talented as he is, not particularly clay and not in the top five. The sinner is too clean and consistent, and is the best form of his career (12-1, 2025).
Smell: Novak Jjokovic has reached the final +450. Djokovic spent the down season as he recovered from an injury that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open. But he is still Novak Djokovic, this is still a Grand Slam tournament, and he has won more than any other player in history. Djokovic only played the quarter-finals in France last year, but he won two of the past four French Open Championships. He also won the Olympic gold medal at Roland Garros last summer. If health allows, Djokovic is still extremely dangerous and may be worth the final at +450.
What is your favorite longshot bet to win a women’s title? What is the reason?
Maldonado: Jasmine Paolini +1400. She just won the Italian Open, breaking legal names like Gauff and Ostapenko and finishing runner-up in French last year. Her game suits clay. It’s clever, patient, tough, she plays with confidence. Everyone is looking at Swiatek and Sabalenka, but Paolini sits down to crash the party in form and draw.
Smell: Jasmine Paolini +1600. Paolini was a French Open finalist last season and succumbed to four-time champion Swiatek. Still, it’s a Paolini monster, who built the final at Wimbledon last season and paired with Sarah Ellani to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2024 Olympics. Paolini is the fourth seed at this year’s French Open, a career-high seed, and won the WTA 1000 level clay tournament at the Italian Open. I wouldn’t like to beat her, but at 16-1 she gets a lot of juice for the player who has this resume and a legitimate shot to take her first major.
What is your favorite longshot bet to win a male title and why?
Maldonado: Alexander Zverev at +1400 is a long shot worth supporting. His odds may not scream long shots, but his path to victory certainly does. It’s helpful that he won Munich, but Zverev has physicality, serve and backhand to thrive in clay in five sets. His path is potentially cruel in his way, Cerundolo (0-3 heads out of head), Djokovic, the sinner, but he is built for a grind-it-out match and is being combat-tested in this environment. If he has nerves, he has a game to break through his first slam and win.
Smell: Casper Ruud +2200. Rude has quietly been one of the best players on the clay court in the past few years, but he has been cast a shadow over the big names of Nadal, Djokovic and now Alkaraz. However, Roud has made appearances in the last three finals and semi-finals that the Frenchman has opened, and there is a chop to win the event if it works for him. Rudo took part in the tournament and won the Madrid Open with Clay early in the season. At 22-1, Rude is a strong value as a player who can win with a very long chance.
