The 2025 French Open is underway, showcasing the best talent on the WTA Tour. As players vie for the coveted Grand Slam title in Paris, all eyes are on the potential contenders and emerging stars. With the tournament heating up, former Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki has shared her insight on a young player who she believes could be a surprise winner.
In less than two weeks, the tennis world will celebrate the crowning of the second Grand Slam champion of the year. The Australian Open saw Madison Keys triumph over Aryna Sabalenka, setting the stage for intense competition at Roland Garros. While established stars like Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are considered frontrunners, Wozniacki points to a rising star as a potential ‘dark horse’ in the tournament.
This article dives into Wozniacki’s pick and provides a closer look at the player who has captured her attention. We’ll also examine insights from Mark Petchey regarding her improvements, and the player’s own reflections on her performance at the French Open.
The 2025 French Open continues to entertain as the stars of the WTA Tour battle it out for glory in Paris.
In less than two weeks’ time, we’ll have crowned our second Grand Slam winner of the year at the .
At the Australian Open in January, it was Madison Keys who lifted the trophy, taking down world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
A defeated finalist in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka is being tipped by many to challenge for the title in Paris, alongside her biggest rival and three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Several other players who have enjoyed strong clay seasons, including Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, could also be in with a chance of victory next Saturday on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It’s an 18-year-old star, however, who former Grand Slam winner, Caroline Wozniacki, thinks is a ‘dark horse’ to win this year’s tournament.
Caroline Wozniacki picks Mirra Andreeva as her ‘dark horse’ to win the 2025 French Open
Speaking on TNT Sports, the 2018 Australian Open champion shared her thoughts on Russia’s Mirra Andreeva.
“I love watching her play in general. She is a young player, she has a great attitude, she improves all the time,” said Wozniacki.
“I have practiced with her quite a few times actually, and I thought earlier last year there were some balls on the forehand and her serves weren’t consistent enough, but all of a sudden she has added pop to her first serve and on forehand she hits more through the ball.
“So she is consistently improving. She moves really well. She has great tennis IQ for someone so young and not having as much experience as these other players.”
The Dane then predicted how far Mirra Andreeva could go at this year’s French Open.
“She is not a fully complete player at this point, but she could be,” said Wozniacki.
“She is so much fun to watch, and I think she could be the dark horse to win this tournament.”
Mark Petchey then weighed in with his thoughts on Andreeva’s improvements, having watched her practice with Emma Raducanu recently.
“She has gotten better as a tennis player. I mean her serve, Emma [Raducanu] practiced with her in Rome, and her serve has got better,” said Petchey.
“It has a lot of lift out there. Her forehand has a bit of pop on it. Still on the backhand side, the top players don’t get as scared going to that particular wing, but great coach in Conchita [Martinez], they get on great, this is a long journey, and to have Conchita on the bag will be a great help to her.
“She is a great kid, she is enjoying this world as much as she can with all the pressure that is coming her way.”
Mirra Andreeva reacts after ‘tough’ second-round win over Ashlyn Krueger
Continuing on her way in Paris, Andreeva beat American star Ashlyn Krueger, 6-3, 6-4, to secure her spot in the third round.
During her on-court interview, Andreeva reflected on the match, highlighting the area of her game she ‘struggled’ with.
“This match wasn’t easy, I lost to her at the US Open, so I knew this match would be tough,” she said.
“She is a very powerful and aggressive player, so I knew that I had to play very good today, I just tried to do everything I could.
“I suffered, struggled a little bit with my serve, but I am happy that I found a way in the end, stayed calm, and pushed myself to fight until the end, and tried to bring my best level on the court.”
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on first serve | Win % on second serve |
| Mirra Andreeva | 1 | 6 | 54% | 73% | 65% |
| Ashlyn Krueger | 0 | 4 | 64% | 56% | 38% |
The world number six then said how she felt playing on Court Simonne-Mathieu, and shared her appreciation to the fans.
“I enjoy a lot playing on this court, especially when I play on the stadiums,” she said.
“I have nice memories on this court because two years ago in 2023 I played on this court and I won, it was also my first time playing in the third round after, so this court brings a lot of nice memories.
“I’m happy that today I got to play on this court again and qualify for the third round.
“Honestly, I can say that playing here in front of you guys is amazing, you always support a lot, and the atmosphere is amazing.
“Sometimes I maybe suffer a bit when you chant before my serve, but it’s nice because after I feel a lot of energy and it pumps me up a lot, so thank you so much for coming and supporting me today, it means a lot.”
Andreeva will return to take on either Yulia Putintseva or Joanna Garland in her third-round match.
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