Tuesday at the French Open wraps up the first round (weather-permitting, obviously). So far, we have seen a relatively straightforward Day 1, followed by a far more intriguing Day 2. What’s coming on Day 3? We at LWOT are predicting plenty of Day 3 matches for you. We have four matches in this set of predictions, as well as two full other sets. (One of those features Jelena Ostapenko vs Victoria Azarenka, while the other headlines Simona Halep vs Ajla Tomljanovic.) Predicting these matches for you today are myself (Yesh Ginsburg) and Jim Smith.
French Open Day 3 Women’s Predictions
Eugenie Bouchard vs Lesia Tsurenko
Jim:
It’s increasingly hard to know what to expect from Eugenie Bouchard. Recapturing the heights of 2014 seems almost impossible at this point, but there is still a good tennis player in there. But whether she is good enough to beat the experienced 27th seed Tsurenko is another matter. The Ukrainian may not be a threat for the title, but she is a formidable professional. Expect her to claim victory here without too much difficulty.
Prediction: Tsurenko in 2
Yesh:
Eugenie Bouchard is still talented, but she hasn’t shown it for more than an hour at a time in years. (Well, aside from one match against Maria Sharapova on her comeback.) If she can pack it all together, she’s probably better than Tsurenko, but we can’t expect that from the Canadian anymore.
Prediction: Tsurenko in 2
Naomi Osaka vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Jim:
After winning the Australian Open, Osaka threatened to sweep all before her. It hasn’t quite panned out that way for the world #1, but she has still been playing good tennis over the past few months. Perhaps not quite good enough to take her to her third straight Slam title, but it should be more than enough to see her past the challenge of Schmiedlova.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Yesh:
Osaka is vulnerable right now, and she might lose her World No. 1 ranking by the end of this tournament. Still, she’s a very good player, and way too good to fall to Schmiedlova in the first round.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Elena Rybakina vs Katerina Siniakova
Jim:
Teenager Elena Rybakina played some really impressive tennis to come through the qualifying, but she will be up against it when she faces Siniakova. The Czech may not be at her very best on the clay, but she has terrific variety and excels at keeping opponents off balance and on the back foot. She may not have things all her own way, but it’s hard to see her failing to advance.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Yesh:
I really like Rybakina. She has incredible potential, and is definitely an up-and-coming top player. She may not ever win Slams, but she’ll definitely contend and go deep. Still, she’s young and inexperienced, and Siniakova is probably just a shade too good right now.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Dominika Cibulkova
Jim:
This match looks like one of the best of the day on paper. Sabalenka has had a difficult season, but with her power she can always cause problems and could be just one confidence-building win away from a big run. Cibulkova, meanwhile, can never be discounted even if her powers do seem to be inexorably on the wane. Expect a close contest, but in the slow Paris conditions Sabalenka’s power should give her the edge.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Yesh:
This should be an amazing match. Sabalenka is slightly better right now, but she’s been inconsistent recently. Cibulkova, meanwhile, will fight to the very end. She’s also one of the few with enough power to frustrate Sabalenka. This match could get very nervy towards the end, and I’ll go with the more experienced player to barely gut it out.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 3
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
What do you think of our French Open Day 3 predictions? Feel free to leave your own thoughts on Day 3 in the comments.
