Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Roland Garros match.
Everything has unfolded largely as expected, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka set to take on second seed Coco Gauff in the final. Based on the seedings, it would suggest Aryna Sabalenka is the likely winner.
Aryna Sabalenka
Should Aryna Sabalenka emerge victorious, it would mark her first Roland Garros title. Reaching the final already represents her best-ever performance at this Grand Slam. Along the way, she faced one significant hurdle — four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek. Heading into that clash, the head-to-head stood at 8-4 overall and 5-1 on clay in favour of Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka managed to turn that around. The opening two sets were fiercely contested, finishing 7:6, 4:6. In the decider, Iga Swiatek faded physically, losing 6:0 in just 22 minutes. However, the gruelling nature of the 75-minute first set and the overall match length of 2 hours and 19 minutes clearly taxed Sabalenka's energy levels.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff had a far more straightforward semi-final against Lois Boisson. While a place in the last four of a Grand Slam is never undeserved, external circumstances sometimes play a role. In this case, it was Mirra Andreeva's underwhelming quarter-final display that paved the way. Gauff capitalised, showing focus and composure to wrap up a 6:1, 6:2 win in just over an hour. A win in the final would also give her a first Roland Garros crown.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff Prediction
The world’s top two players have faced off ten times, with the head-to-head record evenly split at 5-5. On clay, they are also level at 1-1. Their most recent encounter came in Madrid this May, where Aryna Sabalenka claimed a 6:3, 7:6 victory. Despite the physical toll of her semi-final, Aryna Sabalenka goes into the final as a marginal favourite, though Coco Gauff remains a very close contender.
