Could Taylor Fritz, Jan-Lennard Struff, Jelena Ostapenko or Qinwen Zheng surprise with deep French Open run?

Rafael Nadal might be missing, but the pool of players expected to challenge for victory at the 2023 French Open still doesn’t look that big.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are the favourites on the men’s side, with former runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italian Open finalists Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune also in the mix.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek leads the women’s field ahead of world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Italian Open champion Elena Rybakina.

But who could spring a surprise with a deep run in Paris?

Taylor Fritz

He might be the world No. 9, but Taylor Fritz is not the first name you think of when you pick out the French Open contenders.

But Fritz has had a perhaps unexpectedly good clay season.

In Monte Carlo he became the first American in 20 years to reach the semi-finals, taking out defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in impressive style in the quarters. He followed up with a run to the semis in Munich, and in Madrid had three match points before losing to Zhizhen Zhang in the last 16.

He hasn’t yet made a run at the French Open – his best is a third-round appearance in 2020 – but could make a dent this year.

Jan-Lennard Struff

Was Jan-Lennard Struff’s run from qualifying to the Madrid Open final just a brilliant two-week blast? Or is the 33-year-old enjoying a true resurgence?

He has certainly impressed over the last six weeks.

In Monte Carlo he beat Casper Ruud on his way to the quarter-finals and in Madrid he took out Ben Shelton, Dusan Lajovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Struff said after losing to Alcaraz in three sets that he hoped his results in Madrid would give him “a lot of push” for the coming months.

Having been as low as No. 167 in the rankings to start the year, Struff is now into the top 30 and will be hoping to at least match his best showing of making the fourth round at the French Open.

Francisco Cerundolo

Francisco Cerundolo looks to be a player on the rise.

Powered by his big forehand, he’s had some eye-catching results this season, taking out Cameron Norrie in Monte Carlo, beating Casper Ruud in Madrid, and then dispatching Jannik Sinner in Rome.

He showed his quality and intensity again in Lyon as he came from a set and a break down to beat Jack Draper and make his first tour-level semi-final in a year.

Having secured his first Grand Slam main-draw win earlier this year in Melbourne, could he do some damage at the French Open?

Jelena Ostapenko

Would it be a surprise if Jelena Ostapenko won the French Open?

Yes and no.

Yes, because consistency can still be a problem for Ostapenko, and since lifting the title in Paris in six years ago she’s only won three matches at the Grand Slam.

No, because she’s done it before in 2017 and is a very difficult opponent when she is on her game and is smacking away winner after winner.

Ostapenko does, though, enter the French Open on the back of a very encouraging run at the Italian Open where she beat Daria Kasatkina, Barbora Krejcikova and Paula Badosa to make the semi-finals, and then kept things close with eventual champion Elena Rybakina.

If she can maintain a high level over the fortnight then she will be a danger.

Qinwen Zheng

Keep an eye out for 2022’s WTA Newcomer of the Year at the French Open.

One of the standout results of Qinwen Zheng’s 2022 season was making the fourth round in Paris, where she became the only player to take a set off world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

The 20-year-old hasn’t burst off the page with her results this year but she had a good run to the quarters in Rome ahead of Roland-Garros.

She looks comfortable on clay, perhaps due to having spent time training on it in Barcelona, and will be one to watch.

And how about this for an example of her talent…

Marketa Vondrousova

Marketa Vondrousova knows how to win in Paris.

In 2019 she took out four seeded players and reached the final without dropping a set before losing to Ash Barty. In 2020 she was beaten by Iga Swiatek in the first round and in 2021 she made the fourth round.

After missing a large chunk of last year due to surgery, world No. 57 Vondrousova showed signs of returning to form in her most recent outing in Rome as she took out Bianca Andreescu and Maria Sakkari respectively. She has also beaten Ons Jabeur twice this year.

Vondrousova looks at home on clay and has one of the best drop shots around.

Her opening match at the French Open against big-serving American Alycia Parks could be one to watch.

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