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The Tour has arrived on the red dirt, a part of the season that Iga Swiatek has dominated in recent years. She, however, will face stiff competition from a host of other big names looking to make an impact on clay.
The likes of Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka lead a strong field of players through the surface transition. There are, however, a few standouts who have succeeded big on the surface in recent years. We have taken that into account, as well as players’ recent form, to rank the top eight players primed for success during the European claycourt swing:
Note: The following formula was used to calculate the power rankings: (1x points earned in the 2025 + 0.5x points earned in the 2024 claycourt swing + 0.25x points earned in the 2023 claycourt swing). To avoid an undue advantage for seeded players receiving early-round byes in the WTA 250 and 500-level events, points are earned by reaching a tournament's quarterfinals or further.
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#8 Jasmine Paolini
Last year’s French Open is when Jasmine Paolini announced herself as a contender for the biggest of trophies that the sport has to offer.
The Italian beat two Grand Slam champions, Bianca Andreescu and Elena Rybakina, in Paris before ending Mirra Andreeva’s breakthrough run in the semifinals. She went down against Iga Swiatek in a final, but her incredible all-court game and dynamism won over a new echelon of fans.
This year, Paolini was playing the proverbial sophomore season after her 2024 breakthrough, and the pressure was telling. She had not made even the quarterfinals at any Tour-level event until Miami. But fighting wins over Naomi Osaka and Magda Linette showed that she still has the spark. And her love for clay may just ignite it further.
#7 Coco Gauff
It feels like forever ago when Coco Gauff made the final at the French Open, her first at a Grand Slam. That said, she has not lost before the quarterfinals at the tournament since 2021.
Add to the mix her run to the quarterfinals at both Stuttgart and Rome last year, and you have yourself a very steady graph on the surface. The only thing missing from Gauff’s repertoire is a big title on the surface.
The youngster has struggled with her serve and forehand in recent times, but has been actively problem-solving. The slower claycourts will give her the extra fraction of a second on her forehand, which once dialled in, can go from a weakness to a strength.
#6 Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula recently joined a list of illustrious names to have won a WTA 500 title on all surfaces. With her incredibly well-rounded game, the stat comes off as rather unsurprising.
There is an argument to be made about the American star’s flat groundstrokes not being the most effective on clay. But Pegula more than makes up for the lack of topspin on her shots with her quick-footedness and consistency.
Pegula was slow to start the season but has struck form in recent weeks. The run to the final at Miami reminded everyone of why she has been among the game’s elite for the better part of the 2020s, and she followed it up with the title in Charleston. The American’s a fierce competitor and has incredible match fitness, both qualities that the red dirt rewards well.
#5 Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina’s big serve and flat groundstrokes do not immediately scream clay-court success. However, put her under the roof or on a higher altitude, and the Kazakh stops nothing short of lifting trophies.
The title-winning runs at Stuttgart in 2024 and Rome in 2023 are testament to just what Rybakina can accomplish on the surface. When playing at her best, she can hit past opponents even in slower conditions.
The Kazakh’s form this season has been poor, and she is dealing with a lot off-court. But with her set to drop out of the top 10 in the coming week, the pressure will subside a little. And being away from the spotlight may just be the fillip she needs.
#4 Mirra Andreeva
For Mirra Andreeva, the last couple of months have turned out to be career-changing. Most in the tennis fraternity knew that the teen sensation would be accomplishing great things at some point, but they just did not expect it to be this soon.
The incredible 13-match winning streak that saw her win back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells may have been brought to an end by Amanda Anisimova in Miami, but it has placed her exceptionally well for the clay swing.
Remember, this is the surface where the youngster shines best. Before Andreeva’s newfound aggression, the standout quality in her game was her movement and defensive prowess. Rewind to the French Open last year, and one would recall the teen sending everything back at their opponent during her breakthrough run, when she beat the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, to the semifinals.
Andreeva will be extremely frustrating for opponents to play against, given her defensive prowess, and could well take over the title of “the one to beat” on the surface this year.
#3 Madison Keys
Madison Keys’s game is better-suited for the quicker hardcourts, but she has the raw power to penetrate the defence of her opponents on clay as well.
The American, whose obvious claim to the big league has been her 2025 Australian Open triumph, in fact had a stellar season on clay last year — arguably her best on the surface in terms of overall performances.
Not only did Keys lift her first career trophy on the red dirt in Strasbourg last year, she also made the semifinals and quarterfinals at the two WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, respectively. The runs included wins over the likes of Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur. Given the sort of the form she is in this year, even bigger results could follow.
#2 Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek has been the player to beat on clay since her debut on the surface. Three consecutive French Open titles (four overall) have enshrined her as one of the tournament’s greats.
The aura of invincibility has waned over time. She has not won any title so far and has succumbed to tame losses to the likes of Jelena Ostapenko, Mirra Andreeva, Alex Eala, and others. A return to her beloved, she will be hoping, will come with a reversal in her fortunes.
It is worth noting that Swiatek has won every big prize there is to win on clay. She was the champion in Madrid and Rome last year and was the champion indoors in Stuttgart a year earlier. So a return to any venue is bound to bring back happy memories. Big-hitters have troubled her for a while now, but if there is one surface where the Pole can find answers to brute power, it is the red dirt.
#1 Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka’s many incredible achievements on hardcourts often mean that her accomplishments elsewhere are overlooked.
Yes, the World No. 1 has been a force on hardcourts. Yes, she swept the Australian and the US Opens last year and made another final in Melbourne this January. But that does not take away from the steady graph that she has had on clay.
Sabalenka has made the French Open semifinals and quarterfinals in the last two years, lifted a WTA 1000 trophy in 2023, and made three other big finals on the surface (Madrid and Rome in 2024 and Stuttgart in 2023).
Despite a few surprise losses, the World No. 1 has been in solid form this year and continues to break new ground. She is currently on a six-match winning streak, having lifted the trophy in Miami. Given the motivation of never having won a Grand Slam outside of hardcourts, she might gun for a little extra during the clay swing this year.
