The French Open begins on Sunday, which means the first round is split up over three days. We might not get 32 singles matches on Day 1 (we still get that at Wimbledon, though), but there will be plenty of tennis to kick off the action. We at LWOT are here to predict as many of the matches as we can for you. Not only are we predicting the matches in this article including Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina, but we also have two more sets of predictions coming! (One set features Garbine Muguruza vs Taylor Townsend, and the other headlines SSloane Stephens vs Misaki Doi.) Predicting this set of matches today are myself (Yesh Ginsburg), Steen Kirby, Eric Han and Jim Smith.
French Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions Including Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina
Karolina Pliskova vs Madison Brengle
Steen:
Pliskova won Rome and has never lost to Brengle. Anything is possible but a lopsided outcome is most likely in this matchup. Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Eric:
Pliskova is fresh coming off her title in Rome, so is full of confidence of clay, and also leads 3-0 head-to-head against Brengle. Pliskova, on paper, should get through this match easily and most likely will.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Yesh:
Madison Brengle just had one of the best weeks of her career, reaching the quarterfinal in Nurnberg. Unfortunately for her, Pliskova is coming off the biggest clay title of her career, having just lifted the trophy in Rome. This might be tight for a set, but Pliskova should win easily.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Jim:
After winning the Italian Open, Pliskova will surely have high hopes of doing real damage in Paris. When the Czech is at her best, she is a hard player to stop. Brengle, meanwhile, hasn’t played much clay-court tennis at tour-level so far this season, with her only outing coming at the Nuremberg Cup. Coming up against Pliskova will be a big step up in quality. One she seems destined to struggle with.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Sara Sorribes-Tormo vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Steen:
Given a 1-0 past H2h win and far more career achievements, the Belgian Van Uytvanck should be the favorite to scratch out a win that will help her paycheck and her ranking.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 2
Eric:
Van Uytvanck, according to the oddsmakers, is the slight favorite coming into this match. However, in Grand Slams, matches like these are toss-ups and an upset here is more than likely to happen in this match.
Prediction: Sorribes-Tormo in 2
Yesh:
Van Uytvanck is more talented and has the better history, but Sorribes-Tormo has been playing better recently. This will be a classic battle between someone past her peak and someone else yet to attain hers. I think Van Uytvanck’s experience will see her through when this match gets tight late.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
Jim:
Neither Sorribes-Tormo nor Van Uytvanck of Belgium are in the best of form coming into Paris, although Van Uytvanck did reach the semifinals at the Morocco Open earlier this month. She also has a quarterfinal showing in Paris to her name after reaching the last eight whilst Sorribes-Tormo, in has never won a match at Roland Garros. Don’t expect Van Uytvanck to return to the quarterfinals, but she should have enough to claim victory here.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
Fiona Ferro vs Kristina Mladenovic
Jim Smith:
After an exceedingly difficult 18 months, Kristina Mladenovic showed why she once broke into the Top 10 in Rome, where she battled into the quarterfinals as a qualifier. She beat Fiona Ferro, her first-round opponent in Paris, there and that will surely give her real confidence heading into this clash. Ferro did play some good tennis last week in Strasbourg and looks to have a bright future ahead of her, but Mladenovic is the heavy favourite going into this match for a reason.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 2
Eric:
Mladenovic has been back to winning ways ever since hiring Sascha Bajin as her coach and looks confident like she did back in 2016. This should be a straightforward match for Mladenovic if she continues to play the same level as she did in Madrid and Rome.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 2
Yesh:
We saw this matchup two weeks ago, and it sparked a resurgence in Mladenovic that we haven’t seen in years. Ferro has talent and can fight, but I expect the Frenchwoman to overpower her in the French capital.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 2
Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina
Steen:
Svitolina is in poor form, setting up the veteran American to notch a surprising win on paper and thrill the fans in Paris once again.
Prediction: Venus Williams in 3
Eric:
A tough match to predict as their head-to-head is tied 1-1 apiece. However, Svitolina is on a four-match losing streak and has not won a match since Indian Wells in March. This could prove decisive, and give Williams the edge.
Prediction: Williams in 3
Yesh:
This should be a great match. Two of the most talented women in the world will square off (and on neither Chatrier nor Lenglen, no less), though neither is at her absolute best right now. This really could go either way and should be a tight one down to the wire. In this total toss-us, I’ll go with the one who’s been slightly more consistent in recent months.
Prediction: Venus Williams in 3
Jim:
It’s been a difficult patch for Elina Svitolina of late, who despite her obvious talent, continues to struggle at the Slams. And she seems certain to be tested against Venus Williams. The American may not be the force she once was, but she’s an experienced campaigner with real power at her disposal. Will that be enough to help her past Svitolina? Probably not. The Ukrainian is a top ten stalwart for a reason and should have the defensive skills to blunt William’s power.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Don’t agree with our Day 1 predictions? Have any other thoughts on the upcoming Day 1 matches? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
