Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff Figure Highly Among Women Stars With Most Wins on Clay, Serena Williams Tops List

Coming into Paris on the back of phenomenal runs on clay so far this year, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff would firmly figure among the title contenders at Roland-Garros this year. And so would Serena Williams.

With a fourth-round finish in her maiden Madrid appearance followed by her first Masters 1000 title on clay in Rome, 19-year-old Swiatek looks very strongly placed to defend her 2020 crown.

Serena Williams has 82.5% wins on clay, Iga Swiatek has 81.5%

Gauff has also boosted her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title with runs to the quarters and semis at Charleston and Madrid, followed by a spectacular week in Parma during which she picked up both the singles and doubles championship titles.

What’s more, both Swiatek and Gauff, who are still in their teens, are going into the French Open with incredible win percentages on clay.

Both figure prominently on a list that ranks the Top-15 women players on the basis of their percentages of career wins on clay.

In fact, Swiatek ranks second with a staggering win percentage of 81.5, which is bested by none other than Serena Williams, who tops the tally with a scarcely believable 82.5% wins on clay.

Coco Gauff isn’t too far from Serena with 73.7% wins on clay

Gauff, who recently celebrated her 17th birthday, is at No.4 on the list, having already taken her win percentage on dirt to 73.7 in her still-fledgling career.

Strangely, however, current women’s World No.1 Ashleigh Barty, who lifted the Stuttgart title this year and finished runner-up in Madrid, figures way below, at No.11, on the list with 68.6% wins on clay.

The Australian had been leading her quarter-final clash in Rome against Gauff before forfeiting the tie with an injury.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, who is no less a stalwart on clay and was ranked No.1 in the WTA Power Index for clay court this year, sits joint fourth on the list with a career win percentage of 73.7.

However, Halep sadly won’t feature in this year’s French Open as she withdrew from Roland-Garros on account of an injury she suffered during her Rome opener against three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber.

The Romanian had conceded the Rome tie, hoping to recover in time for the French Open. But it wasn’t to be.

A surprise name on the list is Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, a newbie Colombian on the women’s circuit who picked up her maiden Tour title in Bogota earlier this year.

She also hogs the joint fourth place on the list with a win percentage of 73.7 on clay.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who is still going strong at 40 and will figure in the women’s draw at Roland-Garros this year, is No.7 on the list with 71.7% wins on clay.

Young Spaniard Paula Badosa, who has drawn comparisons with former Russian star Maria Sharapova owing to similar playing styles, figures at No.8 with a win percentage of 70.6.

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With so many young stars with proving credentials on clay, what’s guaranteed is an absorbing contest for the women’s championship at Roland-Garros this year.