Enigmatic shotmaker Fabio Fognini takes on Mikhail Kukushkin in the opening round of the French Open on clay in Paris. Our panel of Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust make their predictions for this and the rest of matches on day 2 at Roland Garros.
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Frances Tiafoe
Damian: This could get very interesting but Tiafoe hasn’t been impressive lately. Struff lost his opening rounds in Hamburg and Rome but he’s done way better on clay historically than his opponent. Struff in 4
Yesh: Tiafoe is still improving and might find his way back into the Top 30 in not too long. Struff is playing better right now, though. This should still be a good match. Struff in 5
Fabio Fognini vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Damian: We know how erratic and mentally out of it Fognini can get. But he looked alright for most of the time in Hamburg and should beat an opponent whose flat strokes aren’t that effective on clay. Fognini in 4
Yesh: Fognini is finding a bit of form after a dismal return from the break, and now he has a chance to show something in Paris. Kukushkin is a good challenge to help a player get into form. Fognini in 4
Hugo Gaston vs Maxime Janvier
Damian: Both of these French wildcard players last took part in the Aix en Provence Challenger where Gaston stomped his opponent 6-3 6-0. No reason to expect a different turnaround. Gaston in 4
Yesh: A win would be great for either of these players, who so rarely get their shots in Majors. I’ll go with Janvier, though this will come down to who is more consistent and really could go either way. Janvier in 4
Daniel Altmaier vs Feliciano Lopez
Damian: Daniel Altmaier’s game is way better suited to clay than the veteran Spaniard’s. The German had some health issues but he’s back to 100% now and should make the second round in his Grand Slam debut. Altmaier in 4
Yesh: Altmaier has a real chance to do some damage here. He has a reasonable first-round match to get it done, and I’m excited to see what he does with it. Altmaier in 4
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