Japanese #1 Kei Nishikori will face Frenchman Quentin Halys on day 1 at the French Open in Paris. In addition to the four matches covered here we have complete predictions for day 1 men’s matches including a set of four that features Roger Federer vs Lorenzo Sonego, and a set that features Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Max Marterer. On hand for these predictions are David Gertler and Steen Kirby.
Kei Nishikori vs Quentin Halys
David: Kei Nishikori had a pretty good clay court season. He went 6-3, and had a couple nice wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jan-Lennard Struff. However, given his mediocre performance in a straight-sets loss to Schwartzman in Rome, Nishikori is a bit of a mystery going into Roland Garros. Quentin Halys had a nice run in Aix en Provence, using his big serve and hard-hitting groundstrokes to overpower his opponents. However, he too has been inconsistent recently, and is an unknown regarding to the level he will bring in Roland Garros. The French crowd might will Halys to a set, but it’s hard to see Halys winning this match. Nishikori in 4
Steen: The 22 year old Halys is capable but his success has come at the challenger tour level and Nishikori is a big step up. Nishikori has had a couple of quarterfinals on clay this year but it’s not been his strongest year on tour and he has muted expectations at RG. With that said he should overcome the hostility of the crowd and secure a round 1 victory. Nishikori in 3
Nicolas Mahut vs Marco Cecchinato
David: Italian clay courter Marco Cecchinato takes on French veteran Nicolas Mahut. Cecchinato has played a lot of clay court tennis, participating in seven clay court tournaments so far, with an overall record of 9-6. This includes a title on the clay in Buenos Aires. Mahut, on the other hand, has only played one match on clay all season, losing in straight sets to Viktor Troicki. Mahut might lead the head to head 2-0, but in a three-of-five match on clay, this is a total mismatch. Cecchinato in 3
Steen: Cecchinato has not had as strong of a clay court season as he did last season but he remains far more accomplished on the surface than the veteran Mahut. Mahut will have home support but Cecchinato should win routinely given the surface. Cecchinato in 3
Janko Tipsarevic vs Grigor Dimitrov
David: Veteran Janko Tipseravic is having a successful return from injury, winning at least match in every tournament he has played in all year, besides the Australian Open. Grigor Dimitrov has struggled, by his standards, this year, not winning a main draw match in a tournament since Barcelona. Dimitrov has struggled with injuries and has not found his form yet. While Tipseravic leads the head to head 5-2, Dimitrov won their match earlier this year at the Australian Open. But, confidence is so important in tennis, and Dimitrov lacks it at the moment. Tipsarevic in 5
Steen: Tipsarevic’s return to the tour after a long absence has been impressive and he dominates the h2h record against Dimitrov. Dimitrov did win this year at the Australian Open but Tipsarevic was just returning to tour at that point and he still managed a set against the struggling Bulgarian who is way off his best form this season. Dimitrov has particularly struggled on clay and with that being the case Tipsarevic is well positioned to get an upset victory. Tipsarevic in 4
Laslo Djere vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
David: Laslo Djere has had a very good clay court season, including a maiden ATP Tour title in Rio de Janeiro and a semifinals in Sao Paulo and Budapest. Albert Ramos is playing himself into form, beating solid clay court players recently such as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Jaume Munar, Gael Monfils, and Joao Sousa. This will be a very tight battle between two players who can play on the dirt. The key to this match will be whether Ramos can take control of rallies with his lefty forehand. Ramos was able to win a couple years ago on clay in Marrakech, and I expect another tight victory over Djere here. Ramos in 5
Steen: Both Djere and Ramos have been respectable on clay this season and this match is tough to predict. Djere is the rising talent and won his first title on clay this year, while Ramos is the wily veteran. Ramos has been finding form lately and his top spin game is tough, especially on clay. Experience should win the day here. Ramos in 4
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