Ranking the Top 10 Women's Players Heading into the 2015 French Open

Despite her recent woes, Serena Williams remains the favorite to win the 2015 French Open.

Yet her death grip on the No. 1 ranking is loosening and so is her dominance on the WTA Tour. This year, Williams has yet to win a clay-court title. She skipped Charleston. She lost to Petra Kvitova in the semifinals in Madrid and withdrew from the Italian Open after one match. 

Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova, who reclaimed her familiar spot at No. 2, appears ready to defend her title at Roland Garros. 

If Williams and Sharapova are the clear top two, who rounds out the top 10?

Certainly not Eugenie Bouchard, a surprise semifinalist last year. Bouchard remains ranked in the tour's Top 10 because of the points she accumulated last year. She's struggling this season, evidenced by her low ranking in the WTA's Road to Singapore, which tracks points earned this year. 

Bouchard could turn her season around with a repeat performance. However, she heads into the French Open ranked outside our top 10. 

Check out who made the cut. 

Honorable Mentions

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Victoria Azarenka hits a forehand during the Italian Open.

Victoria Azarenka and Andrea Petkovic earned honorable mentions.

Although Azarenka is ranked No. 27, she's a two-time Grand Slam winner with a chip on her shoulder. Azarenka detests being a lower seed and having to face the likes of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in earlier rounds. She desperately wants to rejoin the ranks of the top players. She'll possibly have to go through Williams to do it. They are set up for a third-round clash. 

Petkovic was having a solid year until recently. Hampered by injuries, Petkovic is struggling. Down 0-5, she retired in her opening-round match in Nuremberg, Germany. She withdrew in the second round in Madrid. A healthy Petkovic would have made the cut. 

10. Ekaterina Makarova

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Ekaterina Makarova hits an overhead shot during a match at the Italian Open.

Quietly consistent, Ekaterina Makarova manages to stay in the top 10. Unheralded, Makarova is shy and avoids the spotlight almost as much as Bouchard seeks it.

She is ranked in the Top 10 in the Road to Singapore as well. Never a favorite or even a sleeper to win it all, Makarova is always a tough out. 

9. Madison Keys

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Madison Keys hits a serve during at match at the 2015 Italian Open.

Madison Keys is ranked No. 10 in the Road to Singapore. However, she comes in at No. 9 in our ranking headed into Roland Garros because of her improved clay-court play.

Keys reached the finals at Family Circle Cup. She reached the quarterfinals at Strasbourg International before withdrawing with an elbow injury. She continues to gain confidence in her game and grows wiser with every match.

8. Ana Ivanovic

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ROME, ITALY - MAY 13: Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in action during her match against Daria Gavrilova of Russia on Day Four of the The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2015 on May 13, 2015 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Ana Ivanovic is only ranked No. 27 in the Road to Singapore. Lately, she's been knocked out of tournaments early. So why has she landed at No. 8 heading into Roland Garros?

At first glance, Ivanovic appears to be in a slump. But take a closer look at her losses. They have been close, decided by a break or tiebreaker here and there. Besides, Ivanovic is a French Open champion. She's one of only three of those in the Top 10. There are only four among the top 90. 

7. Caroline Wozniacki

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Caroline Wozniacki sprints to the ball during a match against Victoria Azarenka at the 2015 Italian Open.

Like Ivanovic, Wozniacki has run into some bad luck recently. She drew Azarenka in the first round of the Italian Open. She lost to Sharapova in the quarterfinals in Madrid. She fell to an inspired Angelique Kerber in the finals at Stuttgart.

Wozniacki is No. 7 in the Road to Singapore. She enters the French Open healthy, and that's half the battle this year. 

6. Angelique Kerber

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Angelique Kerber hits a backhand during the finals at Stuttgart.

Angelique Kerber is having the best clay-court season of her career. She won titles at the Family Circle and Stuttgart. She also reached the semifinals in Nuremberg before withdrawing.

A relentless defender, the lefty has always been dangerous on clay. But she's added more offense to her game. Ranked No. 8 in the Road to Singapore, Kerber took out Sharapova and Wozniacki at Stuttgart. She is certainly one to watch at Roland Garros. 

5. Petra Kvitova

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Petra Kvitova hits a forehand during the Italian Open.

One week, Petra Kvitova destroys Serena Williams on clay. The next she gets torched by Carla Suarez Navarro. That's become the norm in Kvitova's hot-cold career. 

Anyone who can overpower and outplay Williams is a serious contender at Roland Garros. But it's not just the win over Williams. Kvitova is a fitter and more focused player since returning from a short break from competition. 

4. Carla Suarez Navarro

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Carla Suarez Navarro serves during the final of the Italian Open.

Carla Suarez Navarro is ranked a career-high No. 8. She's also No. 4 on the Road to Singapore. The crafty Spaniard appears to have hit her stride just in time for the French Open.

She took a set off Sharapova in the final of the Italian Open. She defeated Bouchard, Kvitova and Simona Halep en route to the finals. 

She lacks a powerful serve, but her one-handed backhand slice creates headaches for opponents. 

3. Simona Halep

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Simona Halep hits a backhand during a match at the Italian Open.

Simona Halep told the WTA's news staff that she doesn't think about last year. That's when she reached the final of the French Open, the biggest accomplishment of her career.

This year, Halep climbed to No. 2 before relinquishing the spot to Sharapova in Rome. Halep remains No. 2 in the Road to Singapore. She's a gifted all-court player who is trying to break up the Williams-Sharapova run on titles.   

2. Maria Sharapova

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Maria Sharapova hits a forehand during the final of the 2015 Italian Open in Rome.

Sharapova arrives at Roland Garros riding the high from winning the Italian Open. The win put the Russian back on track after she failed to defend her titles at Stuttgart and in Madrid. 

Clobbered by Svetlana Kuznetsova in Madrid, Sharapova briefly fell a spot to No. 3.

Being at No. 2 puts her on the opposite side of the draw from Serena Williams and Azarenka. That's key because Sharapova won both her French Open titles in years in which Williams was knocked out early. Perhaps knowing the one person she can't beat has been beaten makes Sharapova feel like it's her tournament to lose. 

No. 1 Serena Williams

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ROME, ITALY - MAY 12: Serena Williams of USA in action against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in their Second Round match on Day Three of The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2015 at the Foro Italico on May 12, 2015 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/

By bowing out of the Italian Open early, Williams took a huge hit in points. Her nearly 3,000-point lead is now less than 2,000. The good news for Williams is that the two people nearest to No. 1—Sharapova and Halep—reached the finals last year. Williams, on the other hand, lost in the second round.

But one is not the number Williams is focused on. She is seeking her 20th Grand Slam title. 

Williams enters Roland Garros recovering from an elbow injury. Still, as long as she can take to the court, Williams remains the player to beat. She knows it and so does everyone else.