To keep the post manageable, I've split it up between the men's side and the women's side, so be sure to check out the men's Quick Hits too! As always, let us know in the comments if you think we've missed an important storyline, match, or player to watch and be sure to stay tuned next week for our French Open 2015 Highlights Du Jour.
Players to Watch – The Top Dogs
Serena Williams – Let's get right to it— Serena Williams' 2015 campaign has only further illustrated why she sits atop the rankings. She already won the Australian Open and has piled up 25 wins with just 1 loss (not counting two walkovers) so far this season. On the other hand, she hasn't played a lot of clay court tennis and her results on clay haven't quite been stellar. Serena could meet Victoria Azarenka in the third round and Petra Kvitova in the semis, but I think she'll cruise through to a potential clash in the finals against Sharapova… who hasn't beaten Serena since 2004.
Prediction: Champion
Maria Sharapova – At one time, Maria Sharapova seemed like an unlikely French Open champion but now she's won it twice in the last three years. Like her or not, Sharapova's got guts and on clay, a willingness to suffer and battle is worth a lot.
Prediction: Finalist
Simona Halep – Halep is only trailing Sharapova by a few hundred points in the rankings and there's no doubt she'd love to scoot back up and retake the number two spot. Unfortunately, I think her 2015 campaign so far has seen her treading water more than taking the next step. She won Indian Wells and reached the final at Miami, both without beating a top ten opponent. Her clay court results have also seen her lose to Wozniacki, Alize Cornet, and a surging Carla Suarez Navarro.
Prediction: Semifinalist
Petra Kvitova – Kvitova seems more fit than ever and snagged a clay court title in Madrid. The next-highest seed in her quarter of the draw is a slumping Eugenie Bouchard, but Madison Keys, who knocked Kvitova out of the Australian Open, is there, too. Fortunately for Kvitova, Keys has been so-so since the Australian Open with early losses in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Rome.
Prediction: Semifinalist
Caroline Wozniacki – Wozniacki's defensive, retrieving style should lend itself well to clay and she did well in Stuttgart and Madrid. Still, she just seems to lack the edge that she needs to really break through and, should they both make it that far, there's no way that she'll make it past her friend Serena in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Quarterfinalist
Eugenie Bouchard – Genie's 2015 record says about everything that needs to be said— she's just 7-9 on the year and she's still riding the coaching carousel. She's not a bad player but I don't think she'll make a deep run, especially with a dangerous mix of young talents and wily vets in her quarter.
Prediction: 4th Round
Players to Watch – The Up-and-Comers
Donna Vekic – Currently sitting outside the top 150, Vekic has shown the potential to shoot up the rankings even though she's only in her third year as a pro. Her big breakthrough might have to wait for now, as she opens against another tough youngster Caroline Garcia, who'll have the home crowd in her corner.
Prediction: 1st Round
Belinda Bencic – With a ranking of 35, Bencic isn't totally under the radar. Plus, she had her coming out party last year with a run to the US Open quarterfinals. She's been a little up and down this year, and she has a tough first round match up against veteran Hantuchova.
Prediction: 1st Round
Monica Puig – Like Belinda Bencic, many tennis fans might recognize Puig's name. The rising star from Puerto Rico made some waves a few years ago with a fourth round run in Wimbledon, but hasn't gone deep at a slam since then. Big-hitting Lisicki is a tough first round draw for Puig, but there's always potential for a Lisicki meltdown.
Prediction: 1st Round
The Best Matches of the First Round
Sloane Stephens v. Venus Williams – More will be made of this matchup than probably should, but at least it won't be dissected as much as a matchup between Stephens and Venus' kid sister Serena. Not long ago many had anointed Sloane Stephens as the heir apparent to the US women's tennis throne, whenever Serena finally decides to abdicate, while Venus was struggling with mixed results and an auto-immune disease. Now they've sort of flip-flopped roles—Stephens' ranking has slid from a high of 11 all the way down to 41 and she's switching coaches like it's her job, while Venus has climbed back up to 15 and is coming off of her best Slam result since 2010. Still, Stephens has traditionally battled hardest in the Slams so there's potential here for good ball-striking and an entertaining match.
Monica Puig v. Sabine Lisicki – Fans of big hitting should enjoy this one. Puig showed us some solid Slam results in 2013, but she's still a bit of an unknown quantity. Lisicki, however, will come out trying to thump every ball as usual. The quality of this one might be a little up and down, but we're almost guaranteed to see some big serving and hard hitting.
Donna Vekic v. Caroline Garcia – Garcia is pretty far ahead in the rankings, but this could be a matchup to watch for years to come. If these two both fulfill their potential and stay healthy (I know, it's a big ask) they could be dueling for titles in a few more years.