French Open Women's Tips: Two big odds picks to challenge dominant Swiatek

• Pole is polls apart

• Biggest challengers less effective on clay

• Scrappy Sakkari and powerful Penko can threaten

Over the past year a big four has emerged at the summit of the women's game. Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are usually there or thereabout when the big trophy is being awarded at the end of the week.

For most of the season there is little to pick between these four players, but when clay season comes around it is Polish superstar Iga Swiatek that is a clear favourite to accumulate the awards.

Swiatek can be backed at odds-on to win the French Open, just 1.84/5 on the Betfair Exchange, and it is very difficult to build a case against the 2020, 2022 and 2023 champion adding a fourth 'Coupe Suzanne Lenglen' to her collection.

Not only has she won the most recent editions, but she is streets clear of her main opposition as she demonstrated in Rome by destroying Aryna Sabalenka in conditions comparable to Paris.

This was her second defeat of Sabalenka in as many tournaments having also got the better of the Belarusian in Madrid.

Conditions are important

In the Spanish capital there wasn't much to pick between Swiatek and Sabalenka, but that match was played at altitude allowing the flatter groundstrokes and serve of Sabalenka to keep her competitive.

However, on more traditional clay courts where it is required to slug it out with Iga - as is the norm in Paris - there is no player that has proven they can last the distance. Iga's complete clay toolkit sets her apart from the field.

For Sabalenka and Rybakina their powerful and commanding game style fares better on faster and harder tracks, and the lower margins they play with opens the possibility for them to come a cropper before the final stages of this tournament.

Sabalenka made the semi-final in 2023 but her previous six efforts took her only as far as round three, while Rybakina has only gotten as far as a quarter-final in 2021.

Coco Gauff can be competitive on clay, with quarter-final or better showings in her past three visits to Paris. However, she will pray that she can avoid Swiatek in the draw - who has triumphed in ten of their 11 career meetings. At 9.08/1 any potential bet on Gauff should wait until the draw has been released.

Potential contenders

In all likelihood the next two weeks will be a Swiatek procession. However, there is value in picking the correct candidate to challenge her.

One player to side with is Greece's Maria Sakkari who back in 2021 was the last player to topple Swiatek in Paris. Sakkari 85.084/1 is a top ten level player who has recently teamed up with elite tier coach David Witt.

Witt was entrusted by Venus Williams to sharpen her game for 11 years, and he recently supported Jessica Pegula in reaching a career high ranking of three in the world - a feat few could have imagined for Pegula.

I believe Witt has jumped ship to Sakkari as he believes that he can mould her into a Grand Slam contender. She has history in Paris achieving a career best Grand Slam semi-final result 2021.

It is an exciting partnership and I think she is floating under the radar. At 85.084/1 Sakkri is certainly capable of giving us a run for our money.

2017 champ a value play

A player who already has a French Open title to her name, and that is having a strong 2024 campaign is Jelena Ostapenko 50.049/1.

The Latvian used her uncompromising attacking game to win here in 2017, and it would be fair to say that she is currently playing the most consistent tennis of her career.

Ostapenko goes for her shots and when she's in form she can be impossible to stop. In the first five months of the season she has bagged titles in Adelaide and Linz, and curiously she has won each of her four career meetings with Swiatek.

At 50.049/1s Ostapenko's price feels longer than it should be. She has shown she is capable of winning this title when the stars align.

Now read more of our French Open tips here!