The European clay court season so far has brought not just one but two protagonists: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. Be it the tournament in Madrid or Rome, both rivals made it to the finals, with the Pole standing one step ahead of the game. But who do you think completes the rivalry triangle? Coco Gauff? Or maybe there’s one more name who is not ready to make it a triopoly.

In a recent episode of the famous podcast series Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, co-hosts Stubbs and Sam Querrey delved into details about various aspects of building up for the upcoming French Open. While Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, ranked number one and two, respectively, have been leading the charge, the former ATP star explained how Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins are also keeping a share of the focus.

“Iga and Sabalenka are creating and Rybakina as well. The three of them are kind of separating themselves from the field,” Querrey observed. “It’s making for great rivalries, it’s making for some must-watch matches and finals in these events, which is great.”

Coco Gauff, who unleashed her dominant potential, leading to a massive victory at the US Open, undoubtedly stands as the third major competitor. However, according to Querrey, Danielle Collins’ performance in the last year of her professional career has helped her emerge as the fans’ favorite. With her remarkable victories in Miami and Charleston, along with reaching the semi-finals in Rome, she is being viewed as someone who won’t let her image be deprived of the spotlight.

“Coco obviously has won the US Open. She’s a Grand Slam champion. She’s got a big game, she can make a run. Danielle Collins right now winning Miami, winning Charleston. Semi-finals in Rome last week. She’s a fighter. She’s exciting to watch,” the former pro said, listing the reasons why both of them stand a high chance.

This statement from Sam Querrey not only reminded fans of the levels possessed by Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins but also made it clear that the WTA scene cannot be ruled by just two of the top rankers.

Coco Gauff’s French Open path is decorated with dangers and past setbacks

Even though Coco Gauff was able to prove her strength once, her fate at the upcoming French Open is filled with the possibility of facing a setback. Looking at her recent performances, the 20-year-old was able to win matches but not against the seeded players. Her defeat against Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open is the most recent proof of it.

Along with that, her win-lose record on clay courts also stands to be an alarming situation. Among the two red dirt events that she showed up in, her run couldn’t go beyond the semi-finals, which was quite less than what the fans expected from the world number 3.

Even if she manages to surpass the two dangers, her disappointing win-loss record against Iga Swiatek (1-10) is highly likely to stop her from securing an evident position in the tournament. The fans would surely love to see her overcome all the hurdles, but that would surely require a lot of work.