WTA Power Rankings: Ukraine Looking for Clay…

No one woman emerged as the overwhelming favourite heading into Roland-Garros 2026, but one country certainly did.

Both WTA 1000 events on clay this spring were won by women hailing from Ukraine. Marta Kostyuk broke through for her biggest title in Madrid, then veteran Elina Svitolina continued her post-maternity leave renaissance with a victory in Rome.

Heading into Paris, can the Ukrainians continue to dominate?

The field certainly feels more open than it has been in years. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka struggled on the dirt, former French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff failed to secure titles, even Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina was shut out at the 1000s.

So, why not the Ukrainians in Paris?

The National Bank Open Power Rankings panel sizes up a fascinating WTA field in Paris.

(Brackets indicate change in position since the last edition of the Power Rankings from before the start of the clay season.)

1. Aryna Sabalenka (-)

Actual Ranking: 1
2026 Record: 27-3
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Madrid Quarter-Final
Best Roland-Garros Result: Runner-up (2025)

By her standards, Sabalenka has had a disappointing clay season thus far, suffering tight losses to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid and Sorana Cirstea in Rome. However, if the world No. 1’s aggressive play pays off at Roland-Garros, she is more than capable of getting her hands on her first Coupe Suzanne Lenglen this year.

It can’t be forgotten that, prior to 2026, the two-time WTA Player of the Year had not been eliminated before the quarter-finals of a “Big” clay event since 2023, a span that included two Madrid titles and a Roland-Garros final.

Concerns of a back injury may have played a factor over the past few weeks so the several days of rest heading into the French Open may be all Sabalenka needs to be the outright favourite yet again at a Slam.

- Francesco

2. Iga Swiatek (+2)

Actual Ranking: 3
2026 record: 18-9
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Rome Semifinal
Best Roland-Garros Result: Champion (Four Times)

It feels like a while ago since the annual discussion entering Roland-Garros was “Iga Swiatek or the field?” given the struggles the Pole had in 2025 and the ascension of Sabalenka. But seeing how the field has levelled through the 2026 clay swing along with an encouraging performance by Swiatek in Rome, it seems like the four-time French Open champion is right back near the top of the list of favourites.

While she got off to a slow start on her best surface in 2026, Swiatek looked much more like the old Queen of Clay in Rome. After surviving a tough opening match, she proceeded to lose just seven games over her next three on her way to the semis, including wins over Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula.

With a field seemingly as open as this one, the safest bet likely is the most successful woman over the last 20 years at Roland-Garros.

- Pete

3. Coco Gauff (-1)

Actual Ranking: 4
2026 Record: 24-9
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Rome Runner-up
Best Roland-Garros Result: Champion (2025)

Gauff often describes herself as a “fighter” according to the WTA, and she showed the tour exactly why with another deep run in Rome. The American No. 1 earned three comeback wins on her path to a second-straight final in the Italian capital, two of which came against Iva Jovic and Mirra Andreeva. The world No. 4 added to her impressive record on the dirt as of late, reaching the semifinals or better at five of the last six Big clay events.

Gauff’s resilience was reminiscent of last year’s display at Roland-Garros, when she came back from a set down on two occasions during her title run – against world No. 8 Madison Keys in the quarters then Sabalenka in the final.

With the 22-year-old finding her clay-court rhythm at the right time, she is reminding everyone why she is Roland-Garros’ defending champion.

- Francesco

4. Elena Rybakina (-1)

Actual Ranking: 2
2026 Record: 30-7
Notable Recent Result: WTA 500 Stuttgart Champion
Best Roland-Garros Result: Quarter-Final (Twice)

Rybakina will have some extra motivation to get her hands on a maiden Roland-Garros title this year. A trip to the winner’s circle would bring the Kazakhstani up to world No. 1 for the first time, while a run to the final means that Sabalenka must be eliminated prior to the semis for there to be a new name atop of the WTA rankings.

Rybakina once again enters the French Open with a clay-court trophy, dropping just one set across her four matches en route to her second Stuttgart title in three years. Her toughest test was a three-hour comeback victory over Leylah Annie Fernandez but, apart from that, the event’s top seed cruised, with the rest of her wins all coming against Top 20 players.

The 26-year-old’s eyes are now set on Roland-Garros after deciding not to defend her Strasbourg crown. The dirt may not favour Rybakina’s big serve, but she still has the power to defeat the WTA’s clay-court specialists like Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini, who each eliminated the world No. 2 the last two years in the second week.

- Francesco

5. Elina Svitolina (+2)

Actual Ranking: 7
2026 record: 28-7
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Rome Champion
Best Roland-Garros Result: Quarter-Final (Five Times)

Has Svitolina been a better player since giving birth in 2022? At minimum, she looks just like the woman who was racking up WTA 1000 titles and reached No. 3 in the world in the late 2010s. She arrives in Paris fresh off her biggest title as a mum, winning her third crown in Rome.

It was not just that she won in Rome, but HOW she won that has positioned the Ukrainian as a favourite heading into Roland-Garros. Svitolina’s run in the Eternal City opened with a win over Madrid quarter-finalist Hailey Baptiste and was capped off by consecutive three-set victories over Rybakina, Swiatek, and Gauff.

If you can beat three of the Top 4 players in the world on clay right before a major, including the two who have combined to win the last four Roland-Garros titles, that automatically makes you a favourite.

- Pete

6. Mirra Andreeva (New)

Actual Ranking: 8
2026 Record: 29-9
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Madrid Runner-up
Best Roland-Garros Result: Semifinal (2024)

Since making her Grand Slam debut at just 16 years old at 2023 Roland-Garros, Mirra Andreeva has shown no signs of slowing down on the dirt, and that was made true again with her results this year.

The world No. 8 began the clay season with a title in Linz as the event’s top seed, before defeating Swiatek from a set down the next week in the Stuttgart quarter-finals. Andreeva carried that form into the clay 1000s as she reached her first final in Madrid and made back-to-back quarters in Rome. Over the past two years, the teenager has fallen short of the last eight just once at Big clay events

The French Open has been Andreeva’s most promising major with her best result being semifinalist in 2024, so expect her to be in the running for a maiden Grand Slam title following her best clay season to date.

- Francesco

7. Jessica Pegula (-2)

Actual Ranking: 5
2026 Record: 28-6
Notable Recent Result: WTA 500 Charleston Champion
Best Roland-Garros Result: Quarter-final (2022)

Pegula continued to show why she is one of the WTA’s most consistent forces this season. After successfully defending her title in Charleston, Pegula made some statements in Rome, handing out three bagels in her opening two wins – 6-4, 6-0 in round two then 6-0, 6-0 in round three. The 32-year-old’s quarter-final finish in the Italian capital meant she has made at least the quarters in all but one event so far this year.

Although European clay may not be Pegula’s favourite surface in recent years, she has shown shades of 2022 when the American No. 2 was a runner-up in Madrid and quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros. Her losses on the dirt this season are also no cause for concern, falling to eventual champion Marta Kostyuk in Madrid and former Queen of Clay Swiatek in Rome.

If Pegula is able to find a way past the surface’s best, she can reach a third-straight Grand Slam semifinal and a first on the Parisian clay.

- Francesco

8. Victoria Mboko (-2)

Actual Ranking: 9
2026 record: 19-7
Notable Recent Result: *Strasbourg Quarter-Final (as of Thursday, May 21)
Best Roland-Garros Result: Third Round (2025)

In this month’s edition of “What a difference a year makes,” the Canadian teen returns to the site of her Grand Slam debut 12 months later as a Top 10 seed. Last year, she qualified for her first major in Paris and then impressed by reaching the third round.

Mboko is coming into Roland-Garros with some questions around her form, having lost her opening match at both WTA 1000 events on clay this spring. However, she has looked much more like herself this week in Strasbourg. In the first few months of 2026, only Rybakina and Pegula were more consistent than the Burlingtonian at the big events. If she is back to feeling comfortable on the dirt, she is probably the player all of the Top 8 will hope to avoid in the round of 16.

- Pete

9. Marta Kostyuk (New)

Actual Ranking: 15
2026 record: 17-4
Notable Recent Result: WTA 1000 Madrid Champion
Best Roland-Garros Result: Fourth Round (2021)

Kostyuk has not lost a tennis match on clay in almost a year. Her last defeat was at Roland-Garros in 2025. In 2026, she is a perfect 11-0 on the surface with a pair of titles, including a career-best win at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, to her name.

So, what will it take to stop Kostyuk on the dirt?

Despite some solid results and a few deep runs at the 1000s in her career, a Grand Slam breakthrough still eludes the 23-year-old Ukrainian. She has only reached the quarter-finals at a major once in her career (2024 Australian Open) and has lost in the first round of Roland-Garros in three of the last four years.

However, she should be extremely confident given her great results on the surface this year. She will also be rested after skipping Rome.

- Pete

10. Karolina Muchova (-)

Actual Ranking: 10
2026 record: 22-6
Notable Recent Result: WTA 500 Stuttgart Runner-Up
Best Roland-Garros Result: Runner-Up (2023)

The roller coaster that is the Karolina Muchova experience just keeps going in 2026. She scored the biggest title of her career back in February at the Qatar Open and was the runner-up on clay in Stuttgart back in April, but is coming into Paris after losing her opening match in Rome.

While she did not bring home the title in Stuttgart ,the Czech did pick up some impressive wins over Gauff and Svitolina (and a finals loss to Rybakina is nothing to be ashamed of). Muchova is also proven at Roland-Garros, having reached her lone Grand Slam final in Paris back in 2023. She even pushed Swiatek harder than anyone in a Paris final during that encounter. This is a player who thrives on big matches.

- Pete

The National Bank Open Power Rankings are a group collaboration by the Power Rankings Panel which includes:

Pete Borkowski – Manager of Editorial and Player Coverage, Tennis Canada
Melissa Boyd – Content Writer, Tennis Canada
Sarah-Jade Champagne – Content Specialist, Tennis Canada
Jonathan Chan - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Julie Gravel - Marketing Director, Tennis Canada
Edward Lee – Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Hugues Leger – Producer, Podcast Sur La Ligne
Patrick Steski - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Francesco Tosini - Content Writer, Tennis Canada
Ravi Ubha - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada

Champion

Pete: Iga Swiatek
Mel: Elena Rybakina
Sarah-Jade: Coco Gauff
Jonathan: Iga Swiatek
Eddie: Iga Swiatek
Pat: Iga Swiatek
Francesco: Elena Rybakina
Ravi: Aryna Sabalenka

Dark Horse

Pete: Sorana Cirstea
Mel: Hailey Baptiste
Sarah-Jade: Jelena Ostapenko
Eddie: Sorana Cirstea
Pat: Hailey Baptiste
Francesco: Sorana Cirstea

Bold Prediction:

Pete: Only two of the top eight seeds reach the quarter-finals.
Mel: Aryna Sabalenka will NOT reach the final.
Jonathan: Jelena Ostapenko makes a fun quarter-final run.
Sarah-Jade: It will be the best Grand Slam result of the runner-up's career so far.
Eddie: At age 31, Elina Svitolina breaks through and reaches her maiden Grand Slam final.
Pat: Aryna Sabalenka does not make it past the second round.
Francesco: Elena Rybakina will be the world No. 1 after Roland-Garros.
Ravi: Hailey Baptiste will reach the quarter-finals.

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Feature Photo : Rob Prange/Jimmie48 Photography/WTA