The king of clay Rafael Nadal takes on Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2020 French Open. Our panel of Damian Kust and Andrew Watson offer their predictions for this and the rest of day 4’s matches.
Rafael Nadal vs Mackenzie McDonald
Damian: An easy-enough win for Nadal again. McDonald doesn’t have the set of weapons required to beat Nadal on clay. Nadal in 3
Andrew: The King of Clay was perfectly fine in his opener and will probably not have to produce anything better here to get past the American. Expect to see improvements though as he gets used to the different conditions. Nadal in 3
Lorenzo Giustino vs Diego Schwartzman
Damian: Giustino’s legs will be dead after that marathon against Moutet and Schwartzman appears to be carrying on his Italian Open form. Schwartzman in 3
Andrew: I would be shocked if the Italian found a way to win this match. Schwartzman looks in brilliant form and Giustino must be tired from his 16-14 epic against Corentin Moutet. Schwartzman in 3
Casper Ruud vs Tommy Paul
Damian: Tommy Paul is one of these Americans that can play very well on clay but he’s facing one of the most in-form players of the past two weeks. Expect Ruud’s run to continue for a little longer. Ruud in 3
Andrew: Another player in serious form is the Norwegian. He will be heading for his highest ever ranking and he is a natural on clay so it is a very big ask for Paul to come out and beat him. Ruud in 3
Benoit Paire vs Federico Coria
Damian: After all the mess connected to his Covid-19 tests, Paire actually managed to find the focus to beat Soonwoo Kwon. Can he manage to hide the fact that he hasn’t been able to practice normally for a big part last month? Probably not. Coria in 4
Andrew: Paire will have been delighted to get a win on the board against Kwon as he hadn’t won a regular match since February. Coria has been in better form and, unsurprisingly given his nationality, is a very good clay-courter. It is this ability on the red stuff that leads me to believe that Coria is a good bet to win this one. Coria in 4
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