Venus Williams wins her first clay-court title in four years - the Mexican Open in Acapulco. Caroline Wozniacki wins the inaugural event in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Jelena Jankovic gets back on track, toughing out a three-set final to win in Andalucía. Sabine Lisicki surprises the world by winning the Family Circle Cup.

Svetlana Kuznetsova finds her footing in Stuttgart by finally claiming a title - beating Dinara Safina rather convincingly. And former finalist Safina wins the title in Rome at the Foro Italico.

Now, although this year's French Open is wide open, as last year's was, there are three main favourites. Who are they, you ask?

FAVOURITES

Dinara Safina: The red-hot Russian is enjoying her best-ever clay-court season, not to mention the best year of her career. She made the finals in Stuttgart, losing to Kuznetsova, then won the title at the Foro Italico, beating Venus Williams in the semis in a marathon slugfest that lasted over three hours and then avenging her loss to Kuznetsova by clubbing her in the final. And it didn’t stop there for the No.1 player in the world as the Magic Box in Madrid became her stomping ground as well; she comes in as the red-hot favourite.

Venus Williams: The elder Williams sister has been playing some of her best clay-court tennis in recent years. She won the title in Acapulco and made the semis at the Foro Italico, losing narrowly to Safina. Venus also finds herself back in the top three for the first time since 2003, but although this clay-court swing has been pretty successful for the 28-year-old American, it has also had its blips.

Venus had a shock defeat to Sabine Lisicki in the third round at Charleston and lost her opening match at the Magic Box to giant-killer Alisa Kleybanova in a tough three-setter. Slowly but surely Venus is regaining the fear factor she once had, but she needs to cut out her early-round exits. If she focuses and plays grass-court tennis she can possibly win, but the main thing is whether or not her early-round vulnerability will rear its head again because if Venus can get into the second week, she’s almost unbeatable and a force to be reckoned with.

Svetlana Kuznetsova: The always-tough Russian is playing some great tennis on the clay by winning in Stuttgart and making the finals of Rome. Sveta possess one of the biggest forehands in the game - and a great set of wheels to boot. Her game is naturally suited for the red clay of the French Open but it’s her mental inconsistencies that hurt her every year. She made the semis last year and will be looking to equal that result and go one better.

CONTENDERS

Serena Williams: Serena doesn’t make the list of favourites because she’s riding a four-match losing streak into the year's second major. And to make matters worse, she’s hampered by a thigh injury.

Elena Dementieva: This Russian has always enjoyed success at Roland Garros, although her game isn’t suited to the clay. Her deadly baseline game proves difficult for her opponents, but it’s her cat-like movement that makes her so tough on the clay. She’s a former finalist and being that she’s serving so much better, she would fancy her chances of going deep in the tournament.

Jelena Jankovic: Last year's semi-finalist hasn’t been playing her best tennis, nor has she been playing any type of confidence-building tennis and is suffering through probably her worst-ever start to a season. She’s suffered early-round exits in some tournaments and has only won one event, a small one in Marabella. The sure-footed Serb has a great clay-court pedigree but her game hinges on two things; how confident she is and how well her opponent is playing. Right now, she’s not confident at all!

DARK HORSES

Caroline Wozniacki: The first Danish player to be ranked inside the top 10, Wozniacki has reached the finals to two Tier 1 tournaments, at the Magic Box and Charleston, along with winning in Ponte Vedra Beach. She’s been playing solid tennis and not beating herself; that’s what wins matches on clay.

Ana Ivanovic: It’s quite bewildering to think that the defending champion is not a favourite but a dark horse, but in this case it makes perfect sense. Ivanovic has been struggling with her form since winning the French Open, not to mention her mental state. She seems to be suffering on the court, fighting herself and her opponent, which is never fun. All I can say is that she needs to get it together fast because an early exit at Roland Garros could she her possibly slip outside the top 20.

Victoria Azarenka: Victoria has joined the elite women at the top of the game with her loud Sharapova-like grunts and big ground strokes. Her footing isn’t that sure on the crushed brick and her forehand tends to sit up for her opponents to take a hit at are her wink links on clay, but it’s her huge backhand that drives her to victory.

Vera Zvonareva: Vera has played one tournament this clay-court season because of an injury she sustained in Charleston. If she plays the French, there’s no telling where her game will be at, but her clay-court pedigree will prove difficult for her opponents to handle.

This year's French Open is less wide open but still unpredictable as the previous years. Safina could take the title, Venus could reign supreme, Sveta could capture the title, or anything could happen. All that I - or anyone for that matter - can tell you is that it’ll be one exciting French Open!