Day 6 will initiate the third round of action on the men’s side and here is a look at the best 5 matches that will feature, with Niall, Stefano, and guest pickers John Lupo, and Dylan Zumar freelance journalists.
Panelists Predictions 2015 Roland Garros Day 6
(13)Gael Monfils vs. (21)Pablo Cuevas
Niall:
Monfils is as much of a showman as a tennis player, but with the French crowd behind him he should be too strong for Cuevas. Cuevas is a good clay courter, but Monfils is the better player. Monfils in 4 sets
Stefano:
A prediction about the unpredictable Monfils? Not an easy task as you never know if he will show up as a fighter, as an entertainer or maybe both. He likes this tournament, having reached 3 Quarterfinals and a Semifinal here. He didn’t play well in the last month (not even in previous rounds) and he has to face a very solid opponent but I think the match is in his hands and he will manage to take it home. Monfils in 5 sets
John:
The 13th seed and former semifinalist here struggled to get by Diego Schwartzman, rallying from 2 sets to 1 down. In facing the 21st seed Cuevas, he encounters a player who has won 3 clay events in the last year, including Sao Paulo this year and a runner up finish to Roger Federer in Istanbul. In what should be a highly entertaining and competitive affair, I like the rising Uruguayan to sneak an upset here. Cuevas in 5 sets
Dylan:
The most intriguing match on the docket for tomorrow; both Monfils and Cuevas have a wide array of shots in their artillery. Monfils has been severely underwhelming in his opening two encounters which included a five-set battle in the previous round, so he will need to rise to the occasion here in the third round. Both players have a propensity for dropping too far back when playing from the baseline, so whoever is able to best expose this weakness in the other will take the match. Expect Cuevas to use his superior net game to counteract Monfils’ weak court positioning, and Monfils will likely use his variety to disrupt Cuevas’ rhythm. The partisan French crowd brings out some of Monfils’ best tennis, and they should energize the Frenchman should this match go the distance. Monfils in 5 sets
(14)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Pablo Andujar
Niall:
Speaking of French players Jo Wilfried Tsonga has played well so far in his Roland Garros campaign but his biggest test thus far comes in the form of Pablo Andujar. The Spaniard has a good clay court game and a good backhand, but overall Tsonga will have too many weapons and the crowd behind him. Tsonga in 3 sets
Stefano:
Tsonga passed two rounds very easily but had to face pretty weak opponents. Andujar was probably saved by darkness in his 5 sets win against Kohlschreiber: however after just two rounds tiredness should not be a factor. I never had a great opinion about Tsonga on clay but at Roland Garros he always performed well, he has never lost against a player outside top 15 here. Andujar is on his favourite surface and should try to be as solid as possible from baseline but I’m going with the player that has crowd support. Tsonga in 4 sets
John:
The talented Frenchman has dispatched his first two opponents with relative ease, dropping just 11 games along the way. Andujar had to resume his 2nd round match down 4-2 in the 5th to Philipp Kohlschreiber, but rallied back for a 6-4 final set victory. He won’t have much in the tank for the 14th seed and Jo should progress with relative ease. Tsonga in 3 sets
Dylan:
Andujar always brings his A-game when clay season rolls around, and this year was no exception with a spectacular run to the final in Barcelona. Contrarily, Tsonga has yet to regain his best tennis since returning from injury in March. In the previous round, Andujar benefited from a rain delay to recover from a 2-4 deficit in the fifth set over Philipp Kohlschreiber. Meanwhile, Tsonga has yet to drop a set in his first two rounds. Tsonga is likely to be the fresher of the two. That, in conjunction with Tsonga having a much more dangerous game than his opponent, should make this a convincing win for the Frenchman. Andujar simply does not have the power to disturb Tsonga, thus Tsonga should blow the Spaniard off the court. Tsonga in 3 sets
Lukas Rosol vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili
Niall:
Both players like to play from the baseline relying on power to earn victories. However they are inconsistent, so this one could go five sets. I think Rosol is the slightly better player, so the Czech will come through. Rosol in 5 sets
Stefano:
Both players are surprisingly 6-0 in sets here against challenging opponents so their form has to be judged quite impressive. H2H is very close even if they didn’t face each other in last 3 years. Both are capable of hard hitting and both can take pretty long pauses during matches so I think this could be a long match and it is a very difficult one to call. I give a slight mental edge to Rosol even if both are not know for their mental strength. Rosol in 5 sets
John:
This has to be the most surprising 3rd Round matchup in the men’s draw, but both are coming off of impressive round 2 wins. Gabashvili defeated Argentine Juan Monaco while Rosol overpowered 19th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, dropping just 8 games in the process. Neither player has ever advanced to the Round of 16 at a major before, but one of them will do so here. In what should be a tense, nervy affair with the opportunity in front of them, I tip the Russian to slip by. Gabashvili in 5 sets
Dylan:
This is surely to be an entertaining affair between two very high-risk shotmakers, as both Rosol and Gabashvili have impressed in reaching the third round. Impressively, neither player has dropped a set in their opening two matches despite playing tricky opponents. Rosol and Gabashvili play similar brands of tennis: hitting hard and flat off the ground. They differ in that Gabashvili is more consistent off the ground, while Rosol serves much bigger serve. This match is difficult to predict because both players are very streaky, but it will ultimately come down to whoever will be able to gain the upper-hand in rallies first. The disparity in serving between the two players will likely be the deciding factor in the outcome of this match; Rosol should be able to dictate rallies better in his service games than Gabashvili. Rosol in 5 sets
(8)Stan Wawrinka vs. Steve Johnson
Niall:
Wawrinka is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get from Stan as proven by his up and down results over the past 18 months. You get a better idea of what you are going to get from Johnson who is a solid player, but his best surface isn’t clay. Stan should win this, but you never know with Wawrinka so I will say the Swiss in 4 sets. Wawrinka in 4 sets
Stefano:
Wawrinka has been having a pretty horrible year, being unable to repeat the great 2014. This year he often showed up as an unforced errors machine and now has to face an opponent with great confidence after two spirited victories. I think there is still a big difference between the two players especially on the backhand side and on clay despite not being in form of his life, the Swiss should win this. Wawrinka in 4 sets
John:
Stan hasn’t looked great in his first 2 matches this fortnight and in facing the surprising American, he’ll see a powerful serve, which may be Johnson’s only chance. Among Stan’s many advantages will be the backhand-to-backhand exchange, which I suspect the Swiss will exploit often. Steve will serve well enough to win a set, but Wawrinka will move on. Wawrinka in 4 sets\
Dylan:
Not many would have expected to see Steve Johnson in the third round at Roland Garros this year, but he has shown great form by upsetting Garcia-Lopez – who defeated Wawrinka last year at the French – and handling Stakhovsky in the second round. Johnson possesses a dangerous serve and forehand combination that can trouble just about anyone; however, there are far too many gaps in Johnson’s game to suggest that he will be of much resistance to Wawrinka. Expect Wawrinka to expose Johnson’s weak backhand and lack of defensive prowess. Barring a patented Wawrinka mental lapse, this should be a relatively straightforward match for Stan. Wawrinka in 3 sets
Enjoy what you see? Check out LastWord’s full French Open coverage here. It’s the only place you’ll every need for everything French Open.
Main Photo:
