The second round of the French Open begins on Wednesday with 16 men’s matches and 16 women’s matches. With so many appealing matchups to look forward to, here are four of the best:
Anastasia Potapova vs Marketa Vondrousova
A matchup you’re likely to see on tour many times over the next decade as Potapova is just 18 while Vondrousova checks in at 19. For the Russian, she scored the biggest win of her career with her demolition of fifth seed Angelique Kerber in the first round while the Czech is 23-5 since a second-round loss at the Australian Open. Vondrousova won their only prior meeting earlier this year in the semifinals of Budapest, but Potapova is a much different player now. She’ll look to dictate from the baseline with her power while Vondrousova has the more well-rounded game and can use her variety at a moment’s notice. Sit back and enjoy as it’slikely both players will be major champions in the future.
Belinda Bencic vs Laura Siegemund
There’s not many players who have been more consistent this year than Bencic, but this is a very dangerous matchup for the Swiss star. Siegemund plays her best on clay and will look to use her backhand to win most points while Bencic will want to pick on her forehand. It’s good for her to face an opponent of Siegemund’s quality so early on with a draw that includes tournament favorite Kiki Bertens, excellent preparation for what lies ahead. The German has been beset by injuries for the last year plus and has an opportunity for one of her finest wins since her comeback.
Stan Wawrinka vs Cristian Garin
This is the best second round match on the men’s side. We know the pedigree Wawrinka has, winning the title here in 2015 and reaching the final in 2017. Many people probably don’t know that the Chilean has had a wonderful clay court season, winning his first two career titles in Houston and Munich. He’ll have to deal with the heavy groundstrokes the Swiss possesses as well as overcome the experience factor. Garin hits a huge ball, but plays with great patience and discipline from the baseline, something he’ll need to do in this matchup. It’s a shame for both players that they had to square off so early as a different looking draw would have taken either player very far, but it’s a treat for us to watch.
Kei Nishikori vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
- Speaking of treats to watch, this is another match that will entertain. The crowd will be squarely on the Frenchman’s side as he looks to continue his comeback from injury, but he faces a stiff test against the seventh seed. Nishikori will look to wear Tsonga down with his offensive baseline game while the Frenchman will want to keep the points short, winning free points off of his serve and attacking the net whenever possible. A two-time semifinalist in Paris, Tsonga gets the opportunity to stamp his comeback with a signature win. Expect this to be a long one.
