Svitolina setting up to be Roland Garros' biggest dark horse

The French Open dark horse in the women’s draw may very well be hiding in plain sight.

Elina Svitolina, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 in February, won her third title of the season in Istanbul. The Ukrainian lost just one set throughout her run (in the first round), eventually beating Elise Mertens to clinch the championship.

The win in Istanbul came after title victories in Taiwan and Dubai in February. She has now won seven career WTA crowns.

“I prepared much better and took more time off for the pre-season,” Svitolina told press on Sunday. “I'm getting rewarded for the hard work.”

And her third title of the year may have come just in time, as the WTA Tour edges closer to Roland Garros, where Svitolina has enjoyed plenty of success.

Svitolina has reached the third round or better at a Grand Slam seven times. Both of those "better" results have come at the French Open. Last year, Svitolina dropped just 15 games in her first six sets before losing to Serena Williams in the fourth round. She also reached her first major quarterfinal in Paris in 2015.

With shots like this one from her match against Mertens...

...could the 22-year-old be a serious threat at the year’s second major?

She has even more experience making deep runs at the tournament, winning the junior title as a 15-year-old.

It helps that there is no clear favorite at this year’s French Open.

World No. 1 Angelique Kerber, who has struggled in 2017 despite her ranking, has lost to Svitolina three times this season. Williams is out of the French Open while she expects her first child in the fall. Petra Kvitova is still recovering from an injury, and Victoria Azarenka is still away on maternity leave. Maria Sharapova’s wild card status will be decided on May 16.

But Svitolina is not just thinking about the near future.

“My goal is going to Singapore for WTA Finals,” Svitolina said. “But there's a long way to go and I've a lot of points to defend.”