As Iga Swiatek’s clay foundation weakens, Aryna Sabalenka anticipates her Paris moment.

• Women’s tennis has not had a dominant force on clay, with Rafael Nadal being the most renowned player.

• Other notable female dirt-ballers include Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams.

• Iga Swiatek, the three-time defending and four-time French Open champion, is struggling with her grip on clay.

• World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has reached the final in six of the nine tournaments she has entered, is expected to take advantage of the situation.

• Sabalenka has been out to prove her skills on clay as well as on hard courts, winning 17 of her 20 Tour-level trophies.

• Despite the slowness of the Parisian clay, Sabalenka’s success rate on clay is 70 (81-34).

• Sabalenka’s record is not too bad, with a record of overcoming challenges in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

• The openness of the field gives Sabalenka an opportunity at Roland-Garros.

• Jasmine Paolini and Jennifer Ostapenko, who have won the 2017 Roland-Garros champion Roland-Garros, are potential opponents.

• Sabalenka’s own record in crunch matches is also a concern, with 17 Tour-level summit clashes lost from 37 she has contested.

• The likely meeting with Swiatek in the last-four is expected, with the Pole dropping down to No. 5.