Fresh off of his victory in the US Open, Dominic Thiem takes to the court in Paris looking to lift the title at the French Open. Our panel of Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust offer their predictions for the Thiem vs Marin Cilic match and others on day 2.
Marin Cilic vs Dominic Thiem
Yesh: Thiem was nervous in the US Open final but won a career-changing tiebreak. Cilic isn’t great on clay and will have nothing for Thiem here. Thiem in 3
Damian: This is Cilic’s worst surface but the 2014 US Open champion is definitely not the easiest Grand Slam first-round opponent. They played just a month ago and it was pretty comfortable for Thiem. It should only be even easier in these slow conditions. Thiem in 3
Emilio Gomez vs Lorenzo Sonego
Yesh: We’re not used to seeing Gomez at this level, while Sonego has been steadily improving over the past few years. Sonego in 4
Damian: Emilio Gomez, the son of the 1990 Roland Garros champion, played tennis well over his ranking to qualify for this event. Being familiar with the courts might be of huge help and if he can keep up this form, he might be able to fight for the upset. Gomez in 5
Jiri Vesely vs Liam Broady
Yesh: Vesely is both the better player and more comfortable on clay. Don’t expect the Brit to be able to keep this close. Vesely in 3
Damian: Broady did well to qualify but he’s facing a seasoned clay-court specialist. Vesely has been doing well recently, playing against much tougher opposition than Broady did. Vesely in 4
Steven Diez vs Mackenzie McDonald
Yesh: I expect McDonald to have a true breakout at some point. He’s just too talented not to. The time hasn’t come yet, though a winnable French Open match is always a start. His conditioning often needs work, which could matter here. Diez in 5
Damian: It was a great effort from Steven Diez to qualify and make the main draw of a Slam for the first time after 10 years of playing professional tennis. This should be close, but McDonald has never really done that well on clay. Diez’s rhythm from playing the qualifying should be enough to win. Diez in 5
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