Experts' picks: Who will win the French Open?

The French Open begins Sunday, with plentifulness of intrigue. Iga Swiatek has won the past 3 titles successful a row, but didn't marque the finals successful immoderate of the 3 clay tournaments she entered this spring. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are looking arsenic prepared arsenic ever.

On the men's side, each signs constituent to a Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner showdown, but who volition prevail? Alcaraz is the defending French Open champion, portion Sinner won the Australian and US Open -- the past 2 Grand Slam titles.

We polled our experts for their picks to win, and for their champion betting tips.

Who bash you deliberation volition triumph the women's singles title, and why?

Pam Shriver: It's a top-heavy women's gully that is anchored by Sabalenka, who is inactive my prime to triumph her archetypal Roland Garros. Sabalenka by acold has been the champion subordinate implicit the past 12 months, winning galore clutch matches. The subordinate who seems to payment astir from being connected the weaker bottommost fractional is Gauff, who continues to conflict with her forehand and service sometimes successful important matches. If those 2 susceptible shots clasp up precocious successful the tournament, Gauff could locomotion distant with her 2nd major. Despite Swiatek's dominance astatine Roland Garros successful the past fewer years, I don't spot her arsenic 1 of my 2 picks.

Bill Connelly: Sabalenka. She's conscionable ever determination successful the precocious rounds. She has reached six finals successful her 8 events successful 2025, and she has reached the finals successful 5 of her past 8 Slams arsenic well. It feels unusual going against Swiatek, but it's much that I'm going for the satellite No. 1.

D'Arcy Maine: Gauff. She has proved conscionable however bully she tin beryllium connected clay successful the past and had beardown results astatine Roland Garros previously, but it feels similar she's amended than ever connected the aboveground with a 10-2 grounds successful the period of May alone. She reached the last successful Madrid with straight-sets victories implicit Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic, and past perfectly dismantled Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 successful the semifinals. Gauff past went connected to scope the Italian Open final, with wins implicit Andreeva, Emma Raducanu and Zheng Qinwen (in implicit 3 and a fractional hours!) on the way. She has travel distant trophy-less successful Europe truthful acold this play but that should alteration successful Paris.

Tom Hamilton: Apologies for being predictable, but I'll spell for Swiatek. She has this Rafa Nadal-esque quality of throwing signifier and logic aside, to drawstring unneurotic thing singular connected the Parisian clay. Jasmine Paolini has a decent shot, arsenic bash Sabalenka, Andreeva and Gauff, but Swiatek volition extremity up getting her 5th Roland Garros title.

Simon Cambers: I deliberation it volition beryllium Paolini. The acquisition of reaching the last past twelvemonth and astir precocious winning Rome bodes good for her chances, and she has nary crushed to fearfulness anyone, particularly with Swiatek susceptible this year.

Who bash you deliberation volition triumph the men's singles title, and why?

Shriver: It seems similar we could spot our archetypal large last betwixt Sinner and Alcaraz. Even with Sinner's 3 months disconnected serving the suspension, Rome proved the 2 players who person won each the majors the past 18 months are presently the champion 2 players successful the world. Alcaraz is the favourite to support his rubric to triumph his 5th major. Alcaraz has been making smarter tactical decisions connected the tribunal arsenic helium matures. His fittingness seems to beryllium peaking too.

Connelly: Sinner. If we extremity up with a Sinner-Alcaraz final, springiness maine Alcaraz, but I deliberation Sinner's much apt to get to the final. He has the much manageable draw, and Alcaraz is inactive prone to earlier-round glitches astatine times -- helium fell to David Goffin successful Miami, and helium has mislaid 9 matches to players extracurricular the apical 10 successful the past year. (Sinner: 41-0 against players extracurricular the apical 10 successful the past year.) Sinner recovered a beardown bushed successful Rome contempt his lengthy absence/suspension, and helium has won 3 of the past 5 Slams. Make it 4 of six.

Maine: Alcaraz. Sure, Sinner wasn't eligible to instrumentality to contention until the Italian Open, but determination has been nary 1 connected Alcaraz's wide level oregon arsenic accordant this outpouring connected clay. He won successful Monte Carlo, reached the last successful Barcelona, and past defeated Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 successful the Rome final. Seemingly astatine afloat wellness aft sitting retired of Madrid with a hamstring wounded and with momentum precise overmuch connected his side, I afloat expect the reigning champion to repetition astatine Roland Garros and triumph his 5th large title.

Hamilton: Alcaraz volition triumph his 2nd Roland Garros title. He's successful large form, hitting highest fittingness and knows what it takes to triumph connected the Parisian clay. Sinner volition propulsion him close, but Alcaraz is playing tennis astatine a antithetic level to anyone other astatine the moment.

Cambers: Alcaraz. He has the champion form, having won Monte Carlo and Rome, and for me, helium won past year's rubric without ever rather hitting the heights we cognize helium can. Fully acceptable aft injury, helium has everything helium needs to triumph a 5th slam title.

Betting tips

Who is your women's prime to win?

Pamela Maldonado: Mirra Andreeva +600. I said agelong agone she would triumph Roland Garros, truthful I americium sticking to that. Andreeva has the clay-court instincts, assortment and changeable tolerance to frustrate adjacent the best. Sabalenka brings the powerfulness and Swiatek owns this surface, but Andreeva's quality to sorb pace, redirect and widen rallies makes her a existent menace to both. She precocious bushed them back-to-back successful Indian Wells and looked wholly unfazed. On this surface, with her consciousness and composure, she's built to daze the field.

Andre Snellings: Iga Swiatek +325. Swiatek is having a down play and is seeded 5th successful the tournament, her lowest seeding successful Paris successful years. But this is Roland Garros, and Swiatek reigns ultimate astatine Roland Garros. She has won 4 of the past 5 French Open championships, including 3 successful a row. While her play this play has been scratchy by her standards, Swiatek inactive made the semifinals astatine the Australian Open and successful 3 of the six WTA 1000 level tournaments she has entered this season. Some of her caller losses, including connected clay, whitethorn person shaken her assurance a bit, but erstwhile she gets connected the reddish clay astatine Roland Garros I expect her to find her level and triumph her 5th championship.

Who is your men's prime to win?

Maldonado: Carlos Alcaraz astatine +115 is the prime to triumph due to the fact that nary 1 matches his blend of athleticism, creativity and endurance connected clay. He conscionable won successful Rome, dropping lone 1 acceptable the full tourney and beating Sinner successful consecutive sets successful the final. Plus, Alcaraz is already a Slam champion successful Paris and has the uncommon quality to accommodate mid-match without losing intensity. His question connected the aboveground is elite, his shotmaking is fearless and his subject successful five-set battles is beyond his years. He's not conscionable the favorite; he's the astir implicit subordinate successful the field.

Snellings: Carlos Alcaraz +105. Alcaraz enters this French Open arsenic the defending champion and favorite. He and rival Sinner person won the past 5 consecutive majors, and with Djokovic having a down season, the content is that determination is simply a spread betwixt Alcaraz and Sinner and the remainder of the field. After winning past year's French Open, Alcaraz besides won the metallic medal successful men's singles astatine the 2024 Summer Olympics that were played astatine Roland Garros. And Alcaraz is having a scorching play connected clay, with a 15-1 win-loss grounds that includes title wins astatine some ATP 1000 level events helium has played connected clay astatine Monte-Carlo and the Italian Open. Alcaraz defeated Sinner to triumph the latter.

What is your champion stake for the women's broadside and why?

Maldonado: Not a wager you tin find, but 1 I would instrumentality a large wound of: Iga Swiatek to not triumph Roland Garros. 35-2 wide successful six appearances and 4 French Open titles. If she doesn't win, it's not a sound connected her talent, it's a reflection of her uneven season. She has had flashes of dominance but hasn't sustained it. She mislaid to Ostapenko successful Stuttgart, Gauff successful Madrid and Collins successful Rome, each successful matches wherever she looked a measurement disconnected bushed oregon level successful cardinal moments. Sure, she's susceptible of uncovering her champion tennis successful Paris, but the question is whether she really will. This year, she hasn't shown the aforesaid aura of inevitability, and successful a gully this deep, that's a problem.

Snellings: Mirra Andreeva to scope the last +240. Andreeva is 1 of the astir breathtaking young players connected the tour, entering this season's French Open astatine lone 18 years old. Last year, astatine 17, she precocious to the semifinals astatine the French Open for her champion decorativeness astatine a large portion defeating Sabalenka on the way. She besides teamed with Diana Shnaider to triumph the metallic medal astatine the 2024 Olympics. Andreeva is simply a erstwhile satellite No. 1 junior, and this play won her archetypal WTA 1000 championships astatine Dubai and Indian Wells. At this French Open, Andreeva is connected the other fractional of the gully from some top-seeded Sabalenka and four-time French Open champion Swiatek, giving her a morganatic way to the last if she plays to her level.

What is your champion stake for the men's broadside and why?

Maldonado: Jannik Sinner to triumph Quarter 1. Having Jack Draper successful his 4th is scary connected paper, but interruption it down. Sinner is 1-9 against top-five opponents connected clay. Draper is satellite No. 5. Context matters. Those losses came against clay dominators: Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Zverev, Tsitsipas. They weren't upsets but alternatively they were expected battles against the precise champion connected their champion surface. Draper, arsenic talented arsenic helium is, isn't successful that tier yet, particularly not connected clay and not successful best-of-five. Sinner is excessively clean, excessively consistent, and successful the champion signifier of his vocation (12-1 successful 2025).

Snellings: Novak Djokovic to scope the last +450. Djokovic has had a down play arsenic helium has recovered from the wounded that forced him to retreat from the Australian Open. But helium is inactive Novak Djokovic, and this is inactive a Grand Slam tournament, which helium has won much than immoderate subordinate successful history. Djokovic made lone the quarterfinals astatine the French past year, but helium has won 2 of the past 4 French Open championships. He besides won the Olympic golden medal astatine Roland Garros past summer. If wellness permits, Djokovic is inactive precise dangerous, and could beryllium worth to marque the last astatine +450.

What is your favourite agelong changeable stake to triumph the women's rubric and why?

Maldonado: Jasmine Paolini +1400. She conscionable won the Italian Open, beating legit names specified arsenic Gauff and Ostapenko, and she's coming disconnected a runner-up decorativeness astatine past year's French. Her crippled fits clay: It's smart, patient, pugnacious and she's playing with confidence. Everyone's watching Swiatek and Sabalenka, but Paolini's sitting close determination with the signifier and the gully to clang the party.

Snellings: Jasmine Paolini +1600. Paolini was a finalist astatine the French Open past season, succumbing to four-time champion Swiatek. Still it was a monster tally for Paolini, who besides made the last astatine Wimbledon past play and paired with Sara Errani to triumph the golden medal successful doubles successful the 2024 Olympics. Paolini is the 4th effect successful this year's French Open, a career-best seeding, and comes successful having won a WTA 1000-level clay tourney successful the Italian Open. While I wouldn't favour her to win, astatine 16-to-1 she is getting a batch of foodstuff for a subordinate with this résumé and a morganatic changeable to instrumentality her archetypal major.

What is your favourite agelong changeable stake to triumph the men's rubric and why?

Maldonado: Alexander Zverev astatine +1400 is the agelong changeable worthy backing. His likelihood whitethorn not outcry agelong shot, but his way to triumph surely does. It helps that helium won Munich, but Zverev has the physicality, service and backhand to thrive connected clay implicit 5 sets. His way is brutal with perchance Cerundolo (0-3 head-to-head), Djokovic, and Sinner successful his way, but he's built for grind-it-out matches and is battle-tested successful this environment. If helium holds his nerve, helium has the crippled to interruption done and triumph his archetypal Slam.

Snellings: Casper Ruud +2200. Ruud has softly been 1 of the champion clay-court players of the past fewer years, but helium was overshadowed by the bigger names of Nadal, Djokovic and present Alcaraz. But Ruud has 2 finals and a semifinals quality successful the past 3 French Opens, and has the chops to triumph the lawsuit if things interruption good for him. Ruud enters the tourney playing well, having won the Madrid Open connected clay earlier successful the season. At 22-1, Ruud is beardown worth arsenic a subordinate who could triumph astatine precise agelong odds.