World No.1 Sabalenka Advances French Open Second Round Paris

Aryna Sabalenka enters the 2025 French Open as the clear favorite and world No. 1, bringing strong momentum after winning in Madrid and showing confidence in her physical and mental readiness for the tournament. Despite never having won the French Open, Sabalenka aims to capture her first title in Paris, inspired in part by Rafael Nadal's legendary success on clay, whose advice she hopes to seek. She has matched Serena Williams' record for the fewest games conceded in a first-round match at Roland Garros and is focused on taking the competition step by step without overthinking the draw. Other top contenders include Iga Swiatek, who has slipped to No. 5 but remains a formidable clay-court player, Jasmine Paolini, ranked No. 4 and riding high after recent successes, and young talents like Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva. Sabalenka’s pursuit of a French Open title is also motivated by personal history and aspirations shared with her late father, who encouraged her to win a major before turning 25. Despite her previous best result being a semifinal in 2023, Sabalenka is determined to win the trophy this year, emphasizing her focus on victory rather than just reaching finals.