The WTA 2026 Clay Season: TW Preview

After a somewhat disappointing start to the 2026 season, Iga Swiatek finds herself in the unusual position of not being necessarily the name to beat this year on the dirt. After parting ways with coach Wim Fissette post-Miami’s first round exit, Iga sets her sights on her favorite surface, the one where she brought home an astonishing four French Opens in five years. Since her Wimbledon triumph last summer, Iga has had some good results like her two titles in Cincinnati and Seoul but has also had her fair share of quarterfinal and other middle to late stage exits to names she’s more used to beating than losing to. Look for her to regain some confidence and form on the red dirt before trying to add another French Open to her tally.

Though she’s no stranger to success on clay, the coveted “Coupe Suzanne Lenglen” is undoubtedly a trophy Aryna Sabalenka is looking to add to her collection, and she’d surely love to end the tired narrative of her “only having success on hard courts.” Her rivalry this year with Elena Rybakina has proved absolutely enthralling, and it would be great for tennis fans to get another grand slam installment of this captivating matchup. They’ve only met once before on clay, and it turned out to be an absolute nail-biter, ultimately going the way of Sabalenka in a third set breaker (1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5)). With Sabalenka’s power and Rybakina’s ball-striking, clay is well poised to bring out the very best from both of these players. Look for Sabalenka to make a deep run in Stuttgart, the indoor clay tournament.

Elena Rybakina has been the standout player for the WTA this year, taking home the year’s first Slam in Australia, and powering her way to the Indian Wells final where she held a championship point. Though her heavy serving and ball-striking may not on paper seem the best suited for clay courts, Rybakina has won a few titles on the red dirt, namely Rome in 2023, Stuttgart in 2024 and Strasbourg in 2025. Look for Rybakina to shine brightly in Madrid due to the serving conditions and to hopefully make waves this year at the French Open.

Coco Gauff grew up training extensively on both clay and hard courts, so the transition between the two surfaces has always appeared to come naturally to her. Last year in dramatic fashion, Gauff stunned world No. 1 Sabalenka in a battle of wills, both looking to get across the line in a thrilling contest. Though she has had mixed results since her Parisian exploits, Gauff remains a contender in any tournament she enters and has posted relatively strong results of late.

The WTA is used to have stars break out on the scene at earlier ages than their ATP counterparts, but it was particularly refreshing over the last year and great to see so many new faces bring assert their claim not only for the future, but in the now as well. Take for example Victoria Mboko, the Canadian phenom who has launched herself into the top 10 after WINNING the WTA 1000 event in Canada last summer. Since then, Mboko has posted strong results consistently, which has gotten her into better position for good seedings and deeper runs in tournaments. Though she grew up playing on hard courts, Mboko’s athleticism hopefully translates well to clay. Look for her to impress the French crowds and to make a deep run with a good draw.

Also making waves across the WTA this year is Iva Jovic, the latest American to assert herself in the top 50 of the women’s game. Fresh off a quarterfinal run in Australia, Jovic now finds herself seeded at any major tournament she enters and has posted decent results as she finds her footing at this level. The question of course will be whether or not she can make her game work for the red clay, perhaps following in the footsteps of her countrywoman Coco Gauff.

Perhaps a bigger question mark is that of Mirra Andreeva, who won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles last year but has struggled to really string anything together since then. Andreeva’s counterpunching game and athleticism translate effortlessly to the clay, and she’s posted good results on the surface in the past. Lately, though, she has appeared a little out of sorts and rhythm, so hopefully she can find her game again on a surface that encourages and rewards consistency perhaps more than the others.