The opening
round of the 2021 French Open is all set to begin on May 30 at the Stade Roland-Garros
in Paris, France. With just a day left for this year’s second Grand Slam, eyes will be on
several players, who have made a mark with a phenomenal performance.

Also read: Roland Garros: History awaits Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic at French open

 So, ahead of the big tournament, here are five women’s players to watch out for:

1. Naomi Osaka: The four-time Grand
Slam winner comes off a win at the Australian Open that was held in February. Although the Japanese tennis sensation has never made it past the third round at the French Open, she could be seen banking on the winning momentum, making her one of the key players.

2. Iga Swiatek: The 19-year-old Polish player made a mark by becoming the lowest-ranked (54) female player to win the
French Open, when she aced the tournament last year. This year, Swiatek comes into the Roland Garros at her career-best ninth rank on the WTA singles list. She won the Italian Open earlier this month and will be aiming to become the only second woman after Serena Williams in 2016 to win two consecutive French Open titles.

3. Serena Williams: Not many players have won the French Open and the Wimbledon in the same year. Williams achieved the feat in 2015. But her last major Grand Slam title win was in Australia in 2017 and the 39-year-old has not won a major since. The 23-time Grand Slam winner saw early exits in Rome and Parma earlier this month. According to WTA Tennis, Williams has trained for the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon in the same way she did for Australia 2017. Mackie Shilstone, her fitness guru, was brought down to train her.

4. Ashleigh Barty: World No 1 Barty withdrew from the quarter-finals of the Italy Open citing an injury. However, the 25-year-old has been in Paris, preparing for the French Open after recuperation. The 2019 French Open winner is amongst the front-runners to clinch the title this year.

Also read: Nadal stunned by Zverev in Madrid Open to cast cloud over Roland Garros bid

5. Aryna Sabalenka: This Belarusian sensation is
ranked among the top five in the WTA’s list in both singles and doubles
category. She has two Grand Slam titles and 15 WTA titles to her credit and is definitely
among the top shots at this year’s Roland Garros.