It’s time. The French Open is finally upon us with first-round matches getting underway from the 26th of May. Interesting clashes await us on the historic courts of Stade Roland Garros in what promises to be a great opening day. Here’s predicting four of those matches including Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Maximilian Marterer. There are two more sets of predictions for the opening round as well featuring Roger Federer vs Lorenzo Sonego and Kei Nishikori vs Quentin Halys, for this set of predictions we have Harsh Bhoot and Steen Kirby.
Matteo Berrettini (29) vs Pablo Andujar
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Harsh: The 23 year old Berrettini is making noise for all the right reasons. Since losing to Dimitrov at the Monte Carlo Masters, his clay court season has picked up momentum enough to garner people’s attention. Champion in Budapest, a finalist in Munich and an 11-3 record on clay in 2019 make for an impressive showing. Expect him to have it easy against the Spaniard, Pablo Andujar who just hasn’t got into any kind of form this season losing in the first round in Lyon. With multiple elbow surgeries, Andujar is finding it tough being back on the tour. Berrettini in 3
Steen: Both players have proven themselves capable on clay, Andujar has had his best results on the surface over his long career, while Berrettini has risen to prominence in the past couple of seasons and is now one of the top Italians at the tour level. Andujar reached the Casablanca final but Berrettini has been even better, winning Budapest, losing the final in Munich, and then winning a couple of matches at home in Rome. He looks set to win some matches in Paris and that will start here with a win. Berrettini in 4
Marin Cilic (11) vs Thomas Fabbiano
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Harsh: Marin Cilic has had a disappointing 2019. The 2014 US Open champion has an abysmal 8-7 record this year and will be eager to turn his fortunes around. Winless in Monte Carlo and Budapest he seemed to be building some form reaching the quarters in Madrid before having to pull out against Novak Djokovic citing food poisoning. Rome was another bad tournament for the Croat losing to Struff in the round of 32. However, he couldn’t have asked for a better first round against Thomas Fabbiano. The Italian failed to qualify in Monte Carlo, Munich and in Geneva. His best was a first-round showing in Budapest. It should be a one-sided affair. Cilic in 3
Steen: Cilic is far from his best on clay and he’s not had a good season but Fabbiano is not the player to take advantage of the upset opportunity here. Cilic could falter for a set or more but Fabbiano doesn’t have the form to come through with a win. Cilic in 4
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Robin Haase
Head-to-head: Kohlschreiber 2-1 Haase
The German, Kohlschreiber will be slightly frustrated with his clay court preparation. He has lost in decider sets in Monte Carlo to Djokovic, in Munich to Berrettini and in Madrid to NextGen star Frances Tiafoe. He would quickly want to forget the 6-3 6-0 loss to Djokovic in Rome to try to be in a better headspace heading into the second Slam of the year. Robin Haase, on the other hand, failed to qualify in both Madrid and Rome. The Dutch 32-year-old had a round of 16 showing in Budapest which was his best this season on clay. Expect the German to move forward with no mishaps. Kohlschreiber in 3
Steen: A battle of veterans, Haase has been in poor form though and Kohlschreiber, while no longer at the top of his game, is still more than capable of posting a win in a match like this and perhaps making a far deeper run. Kohlschreiber in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) vs Maximilian Marterer
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been in red hot form since winning in Estoril. He reached the finals in Madrid beating Rafael Nadal en route and reached the last four in Rome. At a career-high ranking of 6, the Greek is enjoying a great season and at the tender age of 20, he shows maturity on the court like he’s been playing for years. This one is an easy one to call particularly against Marterer who has been slugging it out in the Challenger events with no success. Tsitsipas in 3
Steen: Tsitsipas has been on a tear and is a clear dark horse to reach the final stages of the French Open. He won Estoril, reached the final in Madrid, and the Semis in Rome, losing to only Nadal and Djokovic in that span. Marterer is a fringe ATP level player and clay is not his best surface. This match should be routine for the young Greek who is improving his game week by week. Tsitsipas in 3
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