We have predictions for every match on day 1 at Roland Garros, spread across four other articles. One features Pablo Andujar vs Dominic Thiem, another highlights Grigor Dimitrov vs Marcos Giron, the third headlines Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jeremy Chardy, and the fourth features Fabio Fognini vs Gregoire Barrere.
Egor Gerasimov vs Enzo Couacaud
Jim Smith: After making an excellent start to his clay-court campaign, Egor Gerasimov’s form has tailed off a little of late, with the Belarusian falling to a disappointing first-round loss in Belgrade, his fourth defeat in as many matches. With Enzo Couacaud likely to be full of confidence after finishing runner-up at the Biella IV Challenger a week ago, this could be the perfect opportunity for the Frenchman to spring an upset. Couacaud in 5
Damian Kust: Enzo Couacaud is having a very polarizing season, ranging from Challenger Tour finals to a 7-match win streak. At his best, he’s a great counter puncher and that’s a style that could make Egor Gerasimov leak errors on clay. He’ll get a very good chance at winning this match. Couacaud in 5
Karen Khachanov vs Jiri Vesely
Jim: Karen Khachanov has been a consistent performer at Roland Garros in recent years, but the Russian arrived in the French capital this season in the midst of a prolonged slump. He hasn’t had much luck with his draw either. Jiri Vesely has claimed some notable scalps on clay over the course of his career and thrives on the big stage. Things might well be about to get worse for the out-of-form Russian. Vesely in 4
Damian: Potential upset alert? Probably not as Karen Khachanov won this one at last year’s Roland Garros and back then Jiri Vesely was in much better form. This year, he’s barely won matches on the dirt. Khachanov in 4
Kei Nishikori vs Alessandro Giannessi
Jim: Kei Nishikori may not get back to the lofty heights he once occupied as a member of the top ten, but the Japanese has shown some flashes of his best tennis this season, taking a set of Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Alexander Zverev in Rome. He should have enough to account for Alessandro Giannessi. Nishikori in 4
Damian: While the Japanese is very far from his best, he should still be solid enough to make it to the second round without much trouble here. Left-handed Alessandro Giannessi can be a tricky opponent, but he was a bit fortunate to come through qualifying facing underwhelming performances from his opponents. Nishikori in 3
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Jim: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina saw his promising campaign in Rome brought to an ugly end as he lost to world #1 Novak Djokovic in straight-sets, mustering just three games. But he should have been able to clear his head in the intervening weeks and this looks like a more than winnable match for him. Davidovich Fokina in 4
Damian: Mikhail Kukushkin’s flatter strokes do not really work on this surface and the same can’t be said about Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Spaniard can be brilliant when you let him lead the play and Kukushkin shouldn’t be able to force him behind too much. Davidovich Fokina in 3
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