Aryna Sabalenka arrived at Roland Garros as the world No 1 but with cracks beginning to appear in her armour and an injury cloud looming over her pursuit of a long-awaited maiden Grand Slam title on clay.
The Belarusian is a formidable force on the women’s tour and little has changed with the power on display, however the 28-year-old comes to Roland Garros with doubts over her form and ability on the slower, punishing surface.
Four Grand Slam trophies sit on her mantle – two Australian Open crowns and two US Open titles – underlining her dominance on hardcourts but clay remains unconquered territory.
Last year Sabalenka stood one set from the Roland Garros title before Coco Gauff transformed the match between the world’s top two into one of endurance and resistance, with the Belarusian stumbling in a contest with 100 unforced errors in total.
She had looked untouchable in 2026, winning 26 of her first 27 matches, the only blot on an otherwise stellar campaign coming in an Australian Open final defeat by Elena Rybakina.
But there was an air of inevitability as she won the ‘Sunshine Double’ – triumphing over Rybakina and Gauff at the finals in Indian Wells and Miami – until she switched to clay.
Sabalenka’s claycourt woes began with a shocking quarterfinal exit to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open, where the American unsettled the top seed and saved six match points to complete a stunning upset.