SynopsisJannik Sinner is poised to win the French Open men's singles. His recent victories and undefeated clay record make him the undisputed favorite. In contrast, the women's singles title race is wide open. Several strong contenders are vying for the championship. This French Open promises exciting tennis for fans over the next two weeks.APItaly's Jannik Sinner attends a training session at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Saturday, May 23, 2026. Here’s a thought experiment: Why do we watch sport? Think beyond rabid fandom, muscular nationalism and unquestioned loyalty. The essence of sports watching is in the unpredictability of outcomes. It is in not knowing the direction a contest will take. Yet, ever so often, a moment comes along when an outcome seems a foregone conclusion. The men’s singles at the French Open, starting later today, appears pre-ordained towards such an inevitability. In two Sunday’s from now, if World Number 1 Jannik Sinner is not holding up the trophy, it will be among the most seismic of shocks in the sporting world. Such has been the Italian’s recent dominance that even his nearest rivals have pretty much waved the white flag in surrender. “I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now,” admitted World Number 3 Alexander Zverev, succinctly capturing the mood among the rest of the pack. Let’s double click on Zverev’s assessment. In the absence of his fiercest rival Carlos Alcaraz, waylaid by a wrist injury, 24-year old Sinner has simply scythed through the circuit. His most recent title came in front of his home crowd in Rome, making him the youngest man in history, and only the second after Novak Djokovic, to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events (side note: Djokovic achieved this feat at 31, Sinner is seven years younger!). Sinner is on a five-tournament winning streak, has won 29 straight matches and hasn’t lost even one of his 17 matches on clay this year. Take a minute just to re-read those stats. Sinner is not merely dominating the circuit; he is clinically dismantling anyone that dares to show up on the opposite side of the court. At Roland Garros, Sinner also has some unfinished business, having allowed three match points to slip from his grasp in an epic final against Alcaraz last year. It is the only major trophy missing from his cabinet, and the softspoken giant has been vocal about his ambition to complete the jigsaw. “I said it before the start of the year: My main goal is and remains Paris,” he mused. “What we’ve done here and the rest of the year is incredible. I realize that. But, mentally I know that now I’ve got to do all the right things. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, because that comes by itself.” With Alcaraz forced out, the gap between Sinner and the rest of the field appears even starker. Miracle man Novak Djokovic, who stunned Sinner in the semifinal at the Australian Open at the start of the year, has played (and lost) all of one clay court match this year. Zverev, runner-up two years ago in Paris, has been in patchy form at best, and the other players in the top-ten haven’t made an adequate splash on the circuit to be termed “contenders.”“What you are doing this year is hard to describe with words,” said Casper Ruud after going down in straight sets to Sinner in the Italian Open final. “As someone who is also playing tennis at the highest level, to realise what you are doing is hard to describe.” In complete contrast to the men’s singles, there is no clear front-runner for the women’s title. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka arrives in Paris searching for her first French Open crown, but has several obstacles standing in her way – defending champion Coco Gauff, four-time winner Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, all make a compelling case. Veteran Elina Svitolina sent out a warning signal by pocketing the title in Italy and keen observers believe 19-year-old prodigy Mirra Andreeva, already in the top-10, is on the verge of a breakthrough. Quite clearly, the divergence in the men and women’s events could not be any greater. A mouth-watering extravaganza is headed your way over the next fortnight from Paris.(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)Read More News on