Round 1 concludes with the all French matchup of the rising Hugo Gaston vs veteran Richard Gasquet. We have all the predictions for day 3 of the French Open, in four other articles. One features Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren, another headlines Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin, the third highlights Gael Monfils vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and the fourth features Matteo Berrettini vs Taro Daniel.
Andrey Rublev vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Eric Han: Both players prefer the hard-court over the red dirt. It will be a close match as both players play a similar game style. Expect a good match, with Rublev coming out on top in four sets. Rublev in 4
Yesh Ginsburg: Rublev is probably the third-best player on tour (on clay) right now. I would take him over anyone other than Djokovic or Nadal. Struff is a decent player, but he doesn’t stand a chance. Rublev in 3
Damian Kust: Definitely one of the toughest draws a seeded player can get in the opening round. Struff can be very dangerous when he’s on, which admittedly doesn’t happen all that often. Looking at how dominant Rublev has been against lower-ranked opponents since the beginning of 2020, he should still prevail. Rublev in 4
Alex De Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia
Eric: De Minaur has been a little bit up and down as of late with results, but he should be able to get through the first round without much problems. The 22-year-old Australian historically has not done well at the French, his best result being only a second round appearance. Could this be his year to make a decent run? De Minaur in 4
Yesh: Alex de Minaur is rising fast, though not as much on clay as hard courts. Still, he has definitely far surpassed the Italian, and should win without much trouble. De Minaur in 3
Damian: Travaglia has been rather out of form recently, also retiring from a match two weeks ago. De Minaur’s grinding style seems good for clay, but he required some improvements in the unique movement and simply more practice at it. Recently, he’s been making strides towards it. De Minaur in 4
Hugo Gaston vs Richard Gasquet
Eric: Gasquet will be making his 17th main draw appearance at the French Open this week. The French veteran taking on the French youngster, a battle of the generations here. It will be a good match, but Gasquet should edge through. Gasquet in 4
Yesh: This all-Frenchman matchup is a battle between the past of French tennis and the future. With Gasquet’s health consistently in question, I’ll take the future. Gaston in 4
Damian: Gaston will probably stay a one-tournament-wonder for now, but this is actually a winnable matchup. Nearing the end of his career, Gasquet’s performances have become extremely mercurial. If Gaston can stay unaffected by the veteran’s power and play the match on his terms, his dropshot could be a great weapon here. Gaston in 5
Feliciano Lopez vs Federico Coria
Eric: Lopez, 39, will be making his 20th main draw appearance here at the French Open. The Spaniard has been dumped out of the first round for the three consecutive years, and has a tough opponent waiting for him. Coria has been playing on clay for the last few months, with decent consistent results, and should come through Lopez in the end. Coria in 4
Yesh: Feliciano Lopez is still plugging away on tour, and he does pretty well for his clearly declining physical ability. I think Coria should be able to outlast him on the clay, though. Coria in 5
Damian: Clay had never been Lopez’s favorite hunting ground and at 39 years of age, he won’t be too keen to engage in a grueling physical battle. Coria is an expert at these and he should be able to take the match to Lopez and eventually outlast him. Coria in 4
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