2024 French Open Draw: Naomi Osaka’s Grand Hopes Dismissed as Danielle Collins Finds Ray of Hope Despite Iga Swiatek Threat

Draws for the French Open have been revealed, and exciting bouts await tennis fans! However, for many players, the competition simply looks bleak. For the 2024 comeback star Naomi Osaka, the contest became much more difficult as she will likely face Iga Swiatek in the tournament. Furthermore, Danielle Collins, on her way to retirement, is on Swiatek’s warpath as well, but she might have some hope just yet.

Osaka has struggled immensely on the current clay court swing. While the Japanese player’s forte has been hard court, she has not managed a convincing performance throughout the year. The upcoming French Open could have served as the perfect stage for her to show she is going nowhere, but it might blow up in her face. Osaka has to face Swiatek in round 2 who has currently been on a winning streak.

Iga Swiatek only faced Osaka twice, splitting hard-court matches in Miami (2022, 6-4, 6-0 to Swiatek) and Toronto (2019, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to Osaka). With a 12-match winning streak and back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome, the very effective Swiatek enters this matchup undefeated. Only Serena Williams has ever managed to accomplish the unusual feat of sweeping the three main clay-court championships on the women’s tennis calendar, and she is on track to do it. So, yes, it is a challenge for Osaka!

Osaka will face Lucia Bronzetti in round 1, while Swiatek will face a qualifier or lucky loser. Like her, Danielle Collins is aiming for her first French Open trophy before her farewell. However, she is on the path to Swiatek as well, and the two might meet in the quarterfinal. Unlike Osaka, Collins might have a savior in Barbora Krejčíková. 

Krejčíková and Swiatek have played against each other four times on the WTA Tour, with the Czechia player holding the last two victories over the Polish star. Krejčíková has a 70.32% win rate on clay and comes as the 2021 champion. On her way to the final, Krejčíková defeated Maria Sakkari, who defeated Swiatek in the 2021 quarterfinal.

The Polish player is currently in fantastic form and looks to win her third consecutive Roland Garros and her third consecutive title. However, her path is not so easy.

Who could Iga Swiatek face in the semifinal of the 2024 Roland Garros?

Swiatek’s opponent in two back-to-back finals, Aryna Sabalenka, will face Erika Andreeva in the first round. 2022 French Open finalist Coco Gauff is set to take on a qualifier/lucky loser. 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina faces Belgium’s Greet Minnen. Further quarterfinal projections put the possibility of Gauff vs Ons Jabeur, Rybakina vs Qinwen Zheng, and Sabalenka vs Maria Sakkari. 

Going into the semifinal, we could see Gauff meet Swiatek and Rybakina meet Sabalenka. With their recent forms on clay, the world number 1 and 2 will possibly meet each other in their third consecutive final. Regardless of the eventual result, if it happens, it will be about which will create history for women’s tennis, showing the two are destined rivals.

The upcoming Roland Garros will be full of high-octane action as none of the seeded players will enter the tournament with any injuries as of yet. Who would you bet your money on to take the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup?