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The 7 Unseeded Women Who Could Shake Up Roland Garros

From former Slam champions to later bloomers, these players could turn the women’s draw upside down in Paris.
Christian Basnight|
Qinwen Zheng is an unseeded player who could shake up the draw at the 2026 French Open.
Qinwen Zheng is an unseeded player who could shake up the draw at the 2026 French Open. | IMAGO / PsnewZ

The 2026 Roland Garros women's main draw began this morning, and the field feels as open as it has in years. Clear title contenders like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Swiatek lead the pack, but seven women could make a far bigger impact than many expect.

Emma Navarro

Emma Navarro had a difficult start to her season, dropping outside the top-30 amid health struggles. But following a brief hiatus, the former World No. 8 appears to be back in top form after taking her third WTA title in Strasbourg on Saturday.

Navarro will return to the top-25 on Monday, but is unseeded at Roland Garros, where she's placed in a difficult section. Navarro could play Iva Jovic, Naomi Osaka, and Aryna Sabalenka before the quarterfinals, but she's beaten all of them and is more than capable of doing it again. 

Lois Boisson

Lois Boisson was last year's breakout star at Roland Garros, becoming the first wildcard in the Open Era to reach a major semifinal. But after a six-month injury layoff, the 23-year-old faces a tough opening test against World No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya.

While she may lack match fitness and confidence, the Frenchwoman possesses a unique weapon: the unwavering support of her home crowd. Their passion might just propel the World No. 43 to another memorable second-week run.

Qinwen Zheng

It feels strange seeing Qinwen Zheng unseeded at a major. The 23-year-old sits outside the top 50 after multiple elbow injury setbacks sidelined her for almost all of the second half of the 2025 season.

Still searching for her first quarterfinal of the year, Paris could be where Zheng's comeback truly kicks off. Roland Garros holds special memories for the Chinese superstar, who won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics two years ago.

Zheng lands in the same section as Amanda Anisimova, who is playing her first clay event of 2026. But a likely second-round clash with No. 12 seed Linda Noskova could prove tricky. If Zheng can navigate the early rounds, another Roland Garros quarterfinal run is well within reach.

Anna Bondar

If there's one woman Rome champion Elina Svitolina didn't want to see in the first round of Roland Garros, it'd be Hungary's Anna Bondar. The 28-year-old accounts for Svitolina's only two first-round tournament exits over the last 15 months. Bondar dispatched Svitolina in straight sets at both the 2025 U.S. Open and in the 2026 Madrid Masters earlier this month.

If Bondar manages a third consecutive win over Svitolina in Paris, it would shake up the draw. It would also end what some view as the Ukrainian's best shot at winning an elusive major title. 

Caty McNally

It's taken some time for the 2018 Roland Garros girls' finalist to find her footing on the pro circuit, but Caty McNally has truly begun to hit her stride this clay court season. The American's crafty all-court game and strong net play were highlighted in Madrid. She reached her first WTA 1000 round of 16 and earned a breakthrough win over Victoria Mboko.

McNally may still fly under the radar, given she hasn't reached a clay quarterfinal this season. However, context is required. Her only losses on red dirt in 2026 came against serious Roland Garros contenders: Marta Kostyuk (Rouen and Madrid) and Iga Swiatek (Rome).

The American has a strong opportunity to reach a second week of a major for the first time. Potential early-round opponents, No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic and No. 21 Clara Tauson, have both looked vulnerable on clay this year. A likely round-of-16 clash with Elina Svitolina would be difficult, but McNally has the tools to cause problems for any player.

Barbora Krejcikova

Krejcikova is one of four former champions in the women's draw this year. Since winning the 2021 French Open, the Czech has managed just one singles victory at Roland Garros. She also has a tricky first round showdown against World No. 26 Hailey Baptiste. 

After a three-month injury layoff, the two-time major champion is slowly rebuilding her momentum. She recently finished runner-up at a 125-level event in Parma. 

If the 30-year-old battles past Baptiste, a third round clash with No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina would likely await. Still, Krejcikova has already stunned Rybakina on a major stage before. Could she recreate her Wimbledon 2024 magic on the Parisian clay?

Dayana Yastremska

Dayana Yastremska, the big-hitting Ukrainian star, just won the Parma WTA 125 last week. She'll start her Roland Garros campaign against 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini, an opponent currently struggling with form and fitness.

Paolini, who has earned just one top-50 victory this year, recently withdrew from women's doubles at the Italian Open, citing a foot injury. Paolini is also absent from the Roland Garros doubles draw. Should Paolini prove vulnerable, Yastremska could emerge as a dangerous floater. She is capable of disrupting the other seeds in her section, including Sorana Cirstea and Elena Rybakina.

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Christian Basnight
CHRISTIAN BASNIGHT

Christian Basnight is a tennis journalist and former collegiate player at Washington and Lee University, where he earned a double major in journalism and business. Through his platform, “Christian’s Court,” Christian has built a digital audience of over 80,000 across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, where he covers tennis across a wide range of topics, including match analysis, player interviews, fashion, results, and broader social and cultural conversations within the sport. He aims to grow the game’s reach across all demographics, with a particular focus on engaging the next generation of tennis fans.

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