We spoke about the favorites for this years Roland Garros in the power rankings and it comes as no surprise that Alcaraz and Sinner are leading those. But next to our usuals, there are some players that are coming in hot as underdogs and might make a statement at the second Grand Slam of the year. Let’s take a look at our top picks for a surprise in Paris.
Arthur Fils
This list ironically starts where Bren left off, because Arthur Fils could be an underdog as well, at least for a deep run into the second week. The Frenchman hasn’t won a big tournament yet, with his biggest title being the Hamburg Open 500 tournament, but he definitely has the game to challenge the big guys. He repeatedly caused Sascha Zverev trouble and was only stopped by the top favorite Alcaraz. Fils might not have the experience on his side, but if he can go on a run in France then the crowd might carry him through the later rounds.
The biggest challenge for Fils will be consistency, as he sometimes goes for too much and gives a set away purely from unforced errors. In a best-of-five setting, it will be even more important to preserve energy and play intelligently. And, if he can make the quarters or semis, it will come down to his draw as well – playing Alcaraz or Sinner there might be that one step too much for him to overcome.
Jiri Lehecka
This one might be controversial, but looking at the results of his first matches in Hamburg, it appears that the Czech standout is back close to his pre-injury form. He beat Cerundolo handily, who landed on our power rankings even and played an amazing match. Looking back to Madrid 2024, it seemed that a fast clay court was the ideal surface for the heavy hitting 23-year-old and Roland Garros offers just that. If he can stay healthy and play his best tennis, there aren’t many players around that can hit through him, but it all comes down to him finding rhythm and range.
His challenge for 2025 – he will not be seeded and might have to play a bigger name early on. This could also come as a blessing in disguise however, if he can take the good feeling from Hamburg with him and run into an out-of-shape player early. Winning there would enable him to take over that seed’s draw and potentially finding a way into the second week.
Francisco Comesana
The young Argentine has made a name for himself by two things – classic clay court grinding against top players and potentially having a smoke in an official tennis match earlier this season. But in any case, the 24-year-old looks like a threat to any player that is not up to his best level on that given day. Comesana might not hit through you, but he will surely find a way to get the ball back into play again and again, counterpunching wherever possible. His serve is solid, and he seems to be in prime shape to play on the clay courts for five hours, all things that could rattle the extended top 10 on a bad day. Depending on his draw, he is one of those to look out for when it comes to upsetting someone in Paris.
Check more here about betting on the French Open, the current odds for Comesana to win in Paris is around 400 times the money. That is not likely but he might have a decent run coming up.
Cameron Norrie
The Brit seems to be back from a dramatically bad season and is playing decent tennis again. Especially his forehand is very well suited to clay court tennis, and he clearly is finding his shape again in 2025. He will very likely have to play a seed early on in Paris, but similarly to Lehecka, this could even help him in surprising some players. Currently playing in Geneva, Norrie is one of those players in between Djokovic and his 100th title and seems to be rather a tough opponent there. It remains to be seen whether he has got a lot of energy left in the tank for Paris though, after quite some match-play in the past weeks.
