The French Open kicked off Sunday at Roland Garros, with players meeting on the famous red clay courts for the second Grand Slam of the tennis season. The surface can be tricky, often leading to long rallies and the potential for thrilling upsets, as we’ve seen through the first two days of the tournament.

Ons Jabeur, for example, entered Roland Garros as a heavy favorite with a 17-3 record on clay, the best this season. In the first major shocker of the tournament, the No. 6-ranked player fell to Magda Linette Sunday. Barbora Krejčíková, another strong clay player and the reigning French Open champion, was upset the next day, losing in three sets to French teenager Diane Parry on Monday.

As the French Open continues, we run down the best women’s tennis players on clay still remaining in the field.

Iga Świątek

Iga Świątek is on a tear, riding a 28-match win streak into the French Open. The current world No. 1 looks unbeatable on any surface, but especially on clay, where she’s started the season 9-0. Świątek’s aggressive hitting from the baseline has helped her win five straight WTA titles, the latest coming in Rome. She easily handled first-round opponent Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0 on Monday to advance to the second round.

What makes Świątek particularly dangerous on clay is her ability to move with ease and slide on defense to keep her in points. With her forehand packing an even harder punch on clay, Świątek has all the tools to claim her second French Open title in Roland Garros.

WHEELS!!@iga_swiatek | #PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/KFEJ4XEmwH

— wta (@WTA) April 24, 2022

Simona Halep

Simona Halep has been deemed the queen of clay, winning the French Open in 2018. The Romanian star has the ability to stay in long rallies with her defense and ability to slide seamlessly, often shifting momentum in her favor.

The 30-year-old holds a 4-2 record on clay this season, with her best result a quarterfinal finish in Madrid.

Jabeur’s early exit opens the door for Halep, under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, to test Świątek at the French Open. Halep begins her French Open campaign Tuesday against Nastasja Mariana Schunk.

a flick of the wrists 👏@Simona_Halep | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/we9MeTTz4A

— wta (@WTA) April 30, 2022

Paula Badosa

No. 3 Paula Badosa calls clay her favorite surface, where her aggressive baseline game puts opponents under pressure from start to finish.

“You all know that clay court is my favorite surface, but that also makes it tricky because maybe they think you are even more favorite and now they play better against you,” Badosa told WTA Insider.

The Spaniard has a 6-4 record on clay this season, including a semifinal run at Stuttgart in April. Badosa will look to improve upon last year’s quarterfinal appearance at the French Open as she seeks her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. She meets Fiona Ferro in the first round Tuesday.

SPEEDY hands 🥷@paulabadosa | #PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/DwMNVZmepb

— wta (@WTA) April 22, 2022

Aryna Sabalenka

No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka takes an impressive 7-4 clay record into Roland Garros, having made runs to both the Stuttgart finals and the Rome semifinals. Overall on clay, the 24-year-old has made the final in Stuttgart twice and won the Madrid Open.

Sabalenka’s dominance on the surface, however, hasn’t translated to Roland Garros. The Belarusian star has made the semifinals of every Grand Slam except the French Open.

Sabalenka begins her quest for her first major title against Chloé Paquet in the first round Tuesday.

Eyes on the prize, the final is set 🏎️
Enjoy the highlights of today!#porschetennis #PTGP22 pic.twitter.com/Qdxi4xUq79

— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2022

Amanda Anisimova

Amanda Anisimova’s best results have come on clay, including her first WTA title in Bogotá in 2019.

The American holds a 10-3 record on the surface this season, reaching the quarterfinals in Rome and Madrid and the semifinals in Charleston. The 20-year-old has also had success at Roland Garros, making a semifinal run at the Grand Slam in 2019.

Anisimova, the No. 27 seed, is already off to a roaring start, defeating Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4 in the first round Monday and riding the momentum into her second-round matchup with Donna Vekic.

Missed this while you were 😴 ?

Amanda Anisimova pulled off a stunning straight-sets win againt Lepchenko at @CopaWTABogota ! pic.twitter.com/0tG1JBOvKP

— wta (@WTA) April 11, 2019

The 2025 WNBA Finals tipped off with a bang last week, with Friday's Game 1 averaging 1.9 million viewers on ESPN to become the most-watched championship opener since 1997.

The Friday matchup between the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces and the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury peaked at 2.5 million viewers, a 62% increase over the 2024 Finals opener between the Minnesota Lynx and eventual champion New York Liberty.

That Game 1 viewership ranked second only to the inaugural WNBA season championship 28 years ago — a single-elimination title game in which 2.8 million fans watched the Houston Comets take down the New York Liberty on NBC.

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Game 2 continued the record breaking, with Sunday's broadcast averaging 1.2 million viewers on ABC.

With an average of 1.5 million fans tuning in, the first two 2025 WNBA Finals games boast the best viewership numbers in 25 years, nearly matching the 1.54 million average claimed by the opening two clashes between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets on NBC and Lifetime in 2000.

The record-breaking ratings underscore significant viewership growth across the WNBA postseason, with Game 1 Finals ratings increasing by nearly 700% since 2019 while this year's average postseason viewership is already up 16% over 2024.

The NWSL just added another high-profile minority owner, with Chicago Bears star Caleb Williams buying into the ownership group of 2026 expansion team Boston Legacy FC on Thursday.

Via his strategic investment firm 888 Midas, the NFL quarterback joins fellow big-name athletes Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and Olympic gold medal-winning US gymnast Aly Raisman as Boston Legacy investors.

"Women's sports is a movement, and I admire and respect the work that the team and the NWSL continues to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes," the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner said in the club's Thursday announcement. "Boston Legacy FC is building something special, and we're proud to be a part of what's next."

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Boston Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein also noted that the investment from Williams "highlights the powerful momentum of women's professional soccer."

"It symbolizes a new era of cross-league support and recognition," said Epstein. "With best-in-class athletes, a rapidly growing fan base, and undeniable energy around the NWSL, we are proud to welcome Caleb as a partner as we prepare for the 2026 inaugural season."

Athlete investment in women's sports continues to grow, with many teams now following the micro-ownership model made famous by Angel City FC in 2022.

The Houston Dash are on the brink of a $120 million sale, with Sportico reporting on Wednesday that owner Ted Segal is in advanced talks on a deal that would sever the NWSL club's ties to their MLS counterpart, the Segal-owned Houston Dynamo.

Any agreement is likely to face extensive reviews, however, with questions arising about the funding sources of the buyer, RHC Group.

Namely, RHC Group founder Richard Hsiao is the 24-year-old US-born son of Chinese billionaire Jianhua Xiao, who's currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for what the Chinese government described as financial crimes.

According to Sportico sources, RHC's funds do not have ties to Hsiao's father, but instead originate from "the independent wealth of Hsiao's mother, Zhou Hongwen."

While the NWSL traces the proposed deal's funding, Hsiao is already going through the league's standard background check, a process he reportedly began months ago.

Characterizing the league's "due diligence process" as "ongoing," the NWSL said, "As with all such matters, the NWSL Board of Governors retains full authority to approve or deny any ownership change based on the league's governance standards."

Should the Dash sale go through, the prospective new owners reportedly intend to invest in club infrastructure while keeping the team in Houston.

The WNBA released its 2025 All-Defensive Teams on Wednesday, delaying the announcement more than a week amid the fallout from the viral takedown of league leadership by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier.

Collier herself headlines the First Team, with Lynx teammate Alanna Smith, Phoenix Mercury standout Alyssa Thomas, Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams, and the Las Vegas Aces' four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson joining the Minnesota star on the 2025 WNBA All-Defensive roster.

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Second Team honors went to Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, the Golden State Valkyries' 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player Veronica Burton, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, Seattle Storm forward Ezi Magbegor, and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart.

The WNBA's first-ever co-Defensive Player of the Year award-winners Wilson and Smith put up leading individual stats throughout the 2025 season, with Wilson averaging a league-high 2.3 blocks along with 7.9 defensive rebounds per game while Smith averaged a team-high 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.

Collier averaged 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, contributing to Minnesota's league-best 97.5 defensive rating, while Williams tied for the second-most single-season steals with 99 — just one short of WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon's 1998 record.

In her debut year with the Mercury, Thomas became the first-ever WNBA player to average 15+ points, 8+ rebounds, 9+ assists, and 1+ steals per game while shooting over 50% from the field.

This year's Second Team featured three first-ever selections, with Boston, Burton, and Howard all making their All-Defensive Team debuts.