With Iga Swiatek's exit from the French Open, no previous champions remain in the singles draws. The tournament now presents an opportunity for first-time Grand Slam winners.
Key points
Iga Swiatek eliminated from French Open
No previous champions left in singles draws
Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are top seeds
Guaranteed first-time Grand Slam winners
Opportunity for new champions in Paris
Iga SwiatekAryna SabalenkaJannik SinnerFrench Open
When Iga Swiatek was dumped out of the French Open on Sunday, it meant there were no previous champions left in either the men's or women's singles draws.
Opportunity knocks. But who will seize their chance over the next seven days in Paris?
Grand Slam champions and highly ranked players - led by top seed Aryna Sabalenka - remain in a women's tournament which it was always anticipated would be a scrap.
The men's draw was predicted to be a one-horse race won by top seed Jannik Sinner. Now there is guaranteed to be a first-time Grand Slam winner.
Following Swiatek's exit, BBC Sport analyses who still has a chance of adding their name to the illustrious list of Roland Garros champions next weekend.
Swiatek's skittling ensures new champion
Marta Kostyuk reacts to beating Iga Swiatek at the 2026 French OpenImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Marta Kostyuk is one of the nine women's players left who have never reached a Grand Slam final
Swiatek was bestowed the title of 'Queen of Clay' on her way to the rare feat of winning three consecutive Roland Garros titles between 2022 and 2024.
But, after losing in the semi-finals last year, the fourth seed was beaten by Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round.
Poland's Swiatek, whose defeat came on her 25th birthday, remains in a crisis of confidence.
"I know that I lost because I was tense, and my body couldn't really do the proper things," she said. "But it's not the first time, as well, so I just need to work on it."
Kostyuk, who won the Rouen and Madrid titles coming in, played confidently and smartly to continue to ask questions of Swiatek from the baseline.
"Things change in tennis, but I'm much more consistent. I'm the most consistent I have ever been in my career," said the 15th seed, who has won all 16 of her clay-court matches this season.
Kostyuk, 23, still feels she has a "long way" to go to crack the top five or top 10.
While she might simply have been modest, she has another opportunity to test her credentials against seventh seed Elina Svitolina in an all-Ukrainian quarter-final.
The other quarter-final in their part of the draw pits Sorana Cirstea, whose impending retirement is fuelling the 36-year-old Romanian's success, against Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva.
Q&A
Who are the top contenders left in the French Open after Swiatek's exit?
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka leads the women's tournament, while Jannik Sinner is favored in the men's draw.
What does it mean that there are no previous champions left in the French Open?
It means that the tournament is guaranteed to produce a first-time Grand Slam winner in both the men's and women's singles categories.
How did Iga Swiatek's elimination affect the French Open tournament?
Swiatek's elimination removed the last previous champion from the tournament, opening the field for new winners.
What are the implications of a first-time Grand Slam winner at the French Open?
A first-time Grand Slam winner would mark a significant achievement and shift in the competitive landscape of tennis.
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It means a first-time Grand Slam finalist will emerge from this section.
On the other side of the draw, Sabalenka is the standout contender as she looks to win the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the first time.
Osaka is likely to be a difficult obstacle after finally finding her feet on clay, while American 19th seed Madison Keys - who won the 2025 Australian Open title - could await the winner in the quarter-finals.
Outside of those three, none of the other women still to play in the outstanding fourth-round matches have ever reached a Grand Slam semi-final.
How men's top half became a free-for-all
Matteo Berrettini celebrates at the 2026 French OpenImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini is the lowest-ranked player left in the men's draw, having missed eight Grand Slams in the past five years through injury
Not only will there be a first-time French Open winner in the men's draw - there will be a first-time Grand Slam winner.
Two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz did not come to Paris because of a wrist injury, meaning Sinner's shock exit blew everything wide open.
When 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic also fell by the wayside, it ensured a new name will go into the record books.
The top half - where the fourth-round matches are being played on Monday - is a free-for-all.
Italy's Matteo Berrettini is the lowest-ranked man left at 105th in the world, but is the one with experience of a major final, having lost to Djokovic in the 2021 Wimbledon final.
Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player, while American 19th seed Frances Tiafoe also has notable pedigree.
The dearth of obvious contenders in this section, though, means German second seed Alexander Zverev remains the strong favourite.
It represents 29-year-old Zverev's best chance to finally land the first major which he has been long predicted to win.
Without Djokovic and Sinner left to play, Zverev should feel confident that nobody can stop him.
There are still tricky obstacles that threaten to derail him - namely the trio of talented youngsters who remain in his half of the draw.
Spain's Rafael Jodar, 19, will be his quarter-final opponent, followed by Djokovic's conqueror Joao Fonseca, also 19, or 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik in the semi-finals.
And there is also the risk of scar tissue from his previous three Grand Slam finals reappearing.
Will Zverev feel more pressure now he is expected to go all the way?
He insisted not after his fourth-round win over Jesper de Jong, but if he comes unstuck against the next generation, there is no question he has blown a golden chance.
Why is this Roland Garros so open?
There are a number of obvious factors which have combined to blow open the singles draws - injury, sickness, the ageing process and the unusual heatwave which hit Paris.
The searing temperatures lasted for almost a week and may have had a cumulative physical effect on some players.
The heat has also changed the clay conditions considerably, with firmer surfaces making the ball bounce higher and loosening string tension.
Another theory is that the weight of opportunity is becoming a burden on those left in the men's draw.
"I do think we're seeing the men deal with it for the first time in a really long time where it feels completely wide open," said Keys.
"They should really get their heads around it."
Nine of the 16 men's third-round matches went to a deciding fifth set - the first time this has happened in the Open era - while Jodar and 26th seed Mensik needed to go all the way to reach the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Tennis has always been a sport where mentality is equally as important as the technical aspect, but the unpredictability so far underlines why this French Open feels more about the ability between the ears than any other major in recent years.
