Monday 30 May 2016 15:29, UK
With nine different winners of the WTA Premier events this year and a first-time major winner at the Australian Open, the draw for the French Open looks wide open.
World No 1 Serena Williams ended a nine-month wait for a title with victory in Rome while Victoria Azarenka has won three tournaments in 2016 but has not made an impact on clay so far.
With the rest of the top five - Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber - having an unpredictable year, we look at the pros and cons of some of the contenders…
The favourite
Serena Williams. Who else? Even if she hadn't won the Italian Open she would still start as the strong favourite, especially given the inconsistent form of her main rivals.
The jury was out on the world No 1 slightly after her trophy-less start to the year and withdrawal from the Madrid Open. But, in not losing a set on her way to winning her 70th career title, Williams served a timely reminder of her powers on clay.
"It has always been one of my favourite surfaces," she said recently. "I love it way more than grass. Always have. For whatever reason, I have six Wimbledons and just three French."
She may have only won just three French Open titles, but two of those have come in the last three years and she looks the woman to beat again.
The challengers
With three titles to her name in Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami, Victoria Azarenka is the form player of 2016.
However, her clay court preparations have been far from ideal. At the Madrid Open she withdrew in the last 16 with a back injury and in Rome she suffered a straight-sets defeat to Irina-Camelia Begu in her first match.
Clay is not her favourite surface - she has only once made it past the quarter-finals in Paris - but if she is 100 per cent fit and on top form she should go deep in the draw.
Simona Halep had slipped down from second to seventh in the world after a slow start to the season, but victory in Madrid reinforced her status as a major contender in Paris.
"It's the best day of my life," said the Romanian, who then lost her first match in Rome to rising Australian Daria Gavrilova.
Halep has enjoyed success in Paris in the past, reaching the final in 2014 without losing a set before being beaten by Maria Sharapova in three. "It's my favourite tournament," said the 2008 French Open junior champion recently. "I adore Paris...Just thinking about going there makes me smile."
Garbine Muguruza finished 2015 as the world No 3 but has struggled to replicate her form so far this year.
At the Australian Open she was beaten in the third round and she had not reached a semi-final until Rome, where she was beaten by Madison Keys. However, she was boosted by her most recent display.
"It was a great week for me," she said in Italy. "I would like to be in the final and win, but I felt really good playing these matches here, so it's perfect for the French Open."
The 22-year-old has performed well in Paris in recent years. She caused a huge shock in 2014 with a 6-2 6-2 win over Serena Williams and followed it up in 2015 with a run to the quarter-finals. If she can rediscover her top form she can be a contender again.
After winning the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, Angelique Kerber has followed that up with a victory on the indoor clay in Stuttgart around some other mixed results.
She made the semis in Charleston and Indian Wells, won twice convincingly on clay in the Fed Cup against Romania but then lost both of her opening round matches in Madrid and Rome.
Her form in Paris does not inspire too much confidence, having only made it past the fourth round once, but she is determined to mount a challenge this year.
"I know I can play well on clay," she said after winning in Stuttgart. "This is the attitude I'll take to Paris. I don't want to become results orientated because I know that can go wrong."
The outsiders
With question marks over many of the top players and Maria Sharapova not in the draw as she waits for news on a potential ban, opportunities could open up in Paris.
Timea Bacsinszky reached the semi-finals last year and started her clay-court season by winning the Grand Prix SAR in Morocco. Sam Stosur has also performed well at Roland Garros in the past, losing in the final in 2010. Her preparations this year have seen her finish as runner-up in Prague and lose in the semi-finals in Madrid.
Sloane Stephens is enjoying the best year of her career, with three titles to her name. One of those came on clay in Charleston and she also looked bright in 2015 in Paris before losing to Serena Williams in three sets.
Fellow American Madison Keys, who has recently started working with new coach Thomas Hogstedt, has not had her best results on clay but did make the final in Madrid.
"I think having a couple of top-10 wins this week was really big for me and playing people who have done very well in Roland Garros and just on clay in general," she said afterwards.
And what about Irina-Camelia Begu? The Romanian is ranked 28th in the world but made the quarter-finals in Madrid and then the semi-finals in Rome.
