"Elena Rybakina can definitely beat Iga Swiatek" - Jessica Pegula picks biggest challengers for defending champion at French Open 2024

Jessica Pegula recently picked Elena Rybakina as one of Iga Swiatek's biggest challengers at the 2024 French Open. The World No.1 clinched the title at Roland Garros last year after a hard-fought final against Karolina Muchova, which she won 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Swiatek is having a successful season, having secured four titles including the Qatar Open, BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open. She will enter the 2024 French Open as the two-time defending champion and with the momentum of recently winning two consecutive titles on clay courts.

The World No.1 will be aiming to make history by becoming the third woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive French Open titles, following in the footsteps of Monica Seles (1990-92) and Justine Henin (2005-07). She will begin her campaign at Roland Garros against one of the 18 qualifiers or lucky losers, with a potential second-round match against Naomi Osaka.

Recently while speaking to NBC Sports, Jessica Pegula gave her thoughts on potential challengers for Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros. Pegula stated that World No.4 Elena Rybakina could be a tough opponent, having defeated the Pole in four out of their six previous encounters, including a Grand Slam match win in the fourth round at the 2023 Australian Open.

"I think [Elena] Rybakina can definitely, if she's healthy. I don't think she has ever lost to her, actually. I don't know if they've played much, though, on clay. But I think a girl like that can definitely beat her," Pegula told NBC Sports (at 35:33).

Pegula also mentioned Coco Gauff as a contender who could pose a threat to Iga Swiatek at the French Open, despite Gauff's limited success against the World No.1.

"I think Coco [Gauff] is good on clay. If she can play well and catch her [Iga Swiatek] on kind of an off day and make her uncomfortable, it's just a little bit harder to make her uncomfortable on clay because she's super comfortable on clay," she added (at 35:46).

While Jessica Pegula also acknowledged Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina as strong contenders, she emphasized that Swiatek still carries the status of being the favorite to claim the title at the French Open.

"I think Aryna [Sabalenka] and Elena [Rybakina] are probably the people that can beat her, like the challenge of playing her on clay. I think she's still kind of the favorite going into this tournament," Pegula said (at 36:00).

Iga Swiatek won her third French Open title in 2023

Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title to claim her third French Open in 2023.

Seeded first, Swiatek kicked off her campaign with a commanding 6-4, 6-0 win over Spaniard Cristina Bucsa in the opening round. She continued her impressive form by defeating Claire Liu 6-4, 6-0 and Xinyu Wang 6-0, 6-0 in the second and third rounds respectively.

The World No.1 was slated to face Lesia Tsurenko in the fourth round but advanced to the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian withdrew from the match due to an illness. Swiatek then faced sixth seed Coco Gauff, securing a 6-4, 6-2 victory to advance to the semifinals. There, she overcame Beatriz Haddad Maia in a hard-fought match, winning 6-2, 7-6(7) to secure her spot in the championship match.

In the final showdown, Iga Swiatek faced off against Karolína Muchova and defeated her 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 to claim her third French Open title and fourth Grand Slam title overall.