It looks set to be an exciting day of tennis on the second day at the French Open. There are 24 first-round matches on the slate in Paris and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Casper Ruud vs Benoit Paire, Roger Federer vs Denis Istomin, Alexander Bublik vs Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Lorenzo Musetti vs David Goffin. Making their picks for this group of matches are Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust.
French Open Day 2 Predictions
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Jim: Tsonga can no longer call upon the formidable power and athleticism that made him such a dangerous opponent and fan-favourite, but the Frenchman should still be able to competitive here. But Nishioka has been in impressive form of late, recording back-to-back quarterfinal showings in Lyon and Parma. He should be able to grind Tsonga down.
Prediction: Nishioka in 3
Yesh: Tsonga hasn’t been healthy, and he seems to be at the tail end of his career. He hasn’t won a match since March, and hasn’t really been competitive since then. He is far more talented than his Japanese opponent, but his current form is not at the level of handling a solid ball-striker like Nishioka.
Prediction: Nishioka in 4
Damian: Tsonga last won a match on clay at Roland Garros 2019 but in his defense, he only played a couple of them in that period. The Frenchman hasn’t been in good shape this year, winning just one match in five events. Nishioka has posted a few solid results this clay season and it looks unlikely that Tsonga will recapture some of his previous magic in Paris.
Prediction: Nishioka in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Sam Querrey vs John Isner
Jim: One suspects that this will be an unusually serve dominated match. There is more to both Sam Querrey and John Isner than just their serves, but both men are in large part defined by that shot. On the clay, it should be Isner who has the edge, however, with the older of the two Americans that much more solid off the ground than his compatriot, particularly off the backhand.
Prediction: Isner in 4
Yesh: This battle of the servers should be fun for some fans, boring for others. Querrey has a better baseline game, but Isner is less uncomfortable on clay.
Prediction: Isner in 5
Damian: Probably not too much of a treat to watch on clay. Despite leading the head-to-head, Querrey is having a season to forget. Isner also has a much better history at Roland Garros (Querrey has won just five matches in 13 appearances).
Prediction: Isner in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Maximilian Marterer vs Filip Krajinovic
Jim: Maximilian Marterer has not been a particularly consistent performer over the course of his career, but he has enjoyed some memorable showings on the clay in the past, reaching the fourth round at the French Open in 2018, and looked sharp in coming through the qualifying. With Filip Krajinovic out of form and surely short of confidence, don’t be surprised if Marterer picks up another memorable win.
Prediction: Marterer in 4
Yesh: Krajinovic has reached a Masters final (yes, it happened, the Serbian lost to Jack Sock in Bercy), and he’s a solid player who’s finding his way back to that form. He should be able to move past Marterer.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 4
Damian: Marterer was in the round of 16 here three years ago and was looking scary good in the last two rounds of the qualifying campaign. With Krajinovic lacking match rhythm, there’s a great chance for the upset here. The Serbian disappointed at last year’s French Open and he usually doesn’t react too well when faced with pressure.
Prediction: Marterer in 5
Embed from Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Jim: This will be an interesting test of where Carlos Alcaraz’s game is at. The Spaniard has already picked up his first Grand Slam win, but will be hoping to make an impact at the French Open on his favoured surface. The level he displayed in coming through the qualifying suggests that he might be able to do just that.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Yesh: Alcaraz had to qualify for this tournament, but he’s clearly a future major talent. The youngster would be ranked higher if not for the pandemic, and he’s ready to show it.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Damian: Zapata Miralles won this final at Cordenons Challenger last year but his rate of progress isn’t as steep as for the 18-year-old wunderkind. They were both magnificent in their qualifying campaigns though, so don’t be surprised if the underdog takes it to Carlos Alcaraz and makes him work for the win.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
