These will be the major threats to the favorites in the first week of Roland Garros 2026

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The clay court season is entering its final and most important stretch: Roland Garros. The Parisian Grand Slam will mark the end of three intense months on the red clay. Now that the potential paths of the favorites in both the men's and women's draws have been revealed, we analyze those possible opponents who could cause some surprises in the first week at Bois de Boulogne.

These are the potential candidates to spring a surprise against Sinner, Djokovic, or Zverev

Starting with the men's draw and the top favorite for the title, Jannik Sinner, it seems he doesn't have many rivals capable of challenging him. His unbeaten streak on the clay court swing, without dropping a single match and losing only three sets, is evidence of his dominance. He will begin against Clement Tabur, so no major issues are expected. However, in the third round, he might face an in-form Martin Landaluce, who recently troubled former world number one Daniil Medvedev in Rome. A surprising defeat, but it has been shown that a good day for the Spanish player could lead to an upset against anyone.

As for Novak Djokovic, his draw presents challenging opponents right from the start. While he shouldn't have trouble with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who will have the backing of the crowd, it's in the third round where he could face a tough obstacle like Joao Fonseca, with whom he hasn't played yet, or Dino Prizmic, his recent conqueror in Rome who is making waves on this swing.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev must be cautious from his opener against Benjamin Bonzi. If he gets past the Frenchman, he could encounter a tough challenge in the second round, facing either Tomas Machac or the always tricky Zizou Bergs. Moving into the third round, he might again be tested by a French player like Ugo Humbert, with the full support of the French crowd.

These are the potential dark horses to surprise Sabalenka, Rybakina, or Swiatek

In the women's draw, world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, faces a challenging path if she aims to at least reach last year's final again. While she starts against Jessica Bouzas, the third round may see her up against either Zeynep Sonmez or Cristina Bucsa, two under-the-radar players who, on a good day, can be quite dangerous.

World number two and Australian Open champion, Elena Rybakina, may have an easy first two rounds, but in the third, a tough opponent in Hailey Baptiste, who caused problems in Madrid and excels on clay, awaits. Another potential challenge could come from Barbora Krejcikova, the reigning Roland Garros champion in 2021 and Wimbledon champion in 2023.

Four-time Roland Garros champion, Iga Swiatek, starts against Emerson Jones, but the real challenge would come in the third round against her Achilles' heel, Jelena Ostapenko, who has beaten her in all their six encounters and also knows how to win the Paris title, having triumphed in 2017.

Other potential contenders also need to be wary during their time in Paris. Defending champion Coco Gauff could face Anastasia Potapova in the third round, while Alex De Miñaur might reunite with his Madrid vanquisher, Alexander Blockx, in the second round.

For now, it's all speculation, but there's no better place for surprises than a Grand Slam, especially on clay courts.
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Estas serán las grandes amenazas para los favoritos en la primera semana de Roland Garros 2026