We’re up to Day 6 of the French Open, which means that the third round is beginning. This half of the draw has been hurt by upsets, but that just means that the later rounds will be that much more intense. Predicting the best five matches of the day are writers Brett Margolies and Manuel Traquete, along with editor Yesh Ginsburg.
French Open Predictions Day 6 Women’s Matches
Caroline Wozniacki vs Pauline Parmentier
Brett:
Caroline Wozniacki doesn’t usually play this well on clay. She made a statement the other day with a 6-1 6-0 win over Garica Perez. Parmentier defeated Wozniacki in Istanbul early on in the clay season, but Wozniacki is a much different player right now.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 2
Manuel:
This one sticks out as quite the mismatch, with the Australian Open champion and world #2 as the clear favorite to progress.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 2
Yesh:
Wozniacki was brutally efficient in her second-round match against an opponent that was not quite at 100%. Parmentier presents a more difficult opponent, but not by much. Wozniacki should breeze through this match as well.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 2
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Yulia Putinseva vs Qiang Wang
Brett:
What a huge opportunity for each of these players. Putintseva came in ranked #93 and Wang #91. Putintseva is playing close to the level that helped her reach the quarterfinals in Paris in 2016. She showed signs of a run last week in Nurnberg too, defeating Sloane Stephens in the first round.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Manuel:
An unexpected matchup at this stage of the tournament between two players ranked outside the top 80, who will surely do their absolute best to reach the quarters here.
Prediction: Putinseva in 3
Yesh:
This should be a tight matchup that really could go either way. It will probably come down to nerves, so that makes it all but impossible to predict.
Prediction: Putinseva in 3
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Anett Kontaveit vs Petra Kvitova
Brett:
Like Sloane Stephens, Kvitova is really in form at the moment. She’s won 13 straight matches and played much better in her 2nd round win over Arruabarrena. I think Kontaveit manages to keep it close, but Kvitova is too good at the moment.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Manuel:
Kvitova comes into Paris riding a huge wave of confidence after winning in Madrid and her run is unlikely to be stopped here.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Yesh:
Kvitova has looked vulnerable early in this tournament. She should be in better form, but she just hasn’t found her gear in Paris yet. It’s risky to pick against her, but unless she finds her rhythm early in this match we could see an upset.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
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Sloane Stephens vs Camila Giorgi
Brett:
Sloane Stephens is arguably playing the best out of anyone in the women’s field. She’s up against a big hitter in Giorgi, but she’s also prone to hitting a lot of errors. Sloane should continue her dominance in Paris.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
Manuel:
Should be a relatively close match. Although the American is far higher ranked, Giorgi actually leads 2-1 in H2H and has shown good form so far this tournament.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Yesh:
Stephens is finally finding her form again after her post-US Open slump. She brutalized her first two opponents here in Paris, but Giorgi is a solid player who likes the clay better than the American. There should be a minor upset alert here, but don’t expect it to happen.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
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Madison Keys vs Naomi Osaka
Brett:
It’ll be interesting to see how this match goes on clay. Two of the biggest hitters on the WTA tour on their least favorite surface. Madison Keys won their previous two meetings including a comeback win from 5-1 in the 3rd set in the 2016 US Open. Keys is far from great on clay, but she has the upper hand over Osaka.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Manuel:
A close match in prospect here. So far, Keys has had the edge in this matchup, but clay makes things a bit more even.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Yesh:
This should be one of the best matches of the third round, and possibly the entire tournament. Keys and Osaka are evenly matched up-and-comers, and their games make for compelling viewing when they meet. I have no idea who will win, but I expect this to go down to the wire.
Prediction: Keys in 3
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