The always entertaining Gael Monfils faces dirt baller Albert Ramos-Vinolas in round 1 of the French Open, Lucas Pouille and Ugo Humbert are also in action, as French Players feature in a number of day 3 matches. We have all your predictions, in four other articles. One features Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren, another headlines Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin, the third highlights Matteo Berrettini vs Taro Daniel, and the fourth features Hugo Gaston vs Richard Gasquet.
Gael Monfils vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Yesh Ginsburg: Gael Monfils can’t catch a break. He is playing well, but even when he does he just can’t finish matches. He gets a tough draw against an in-form Albert Ramos Vinolas. Ramos-Vinolas in 4
Eric Han: I will not be surprised if this drags out to a five-setter with Monfils being on the losing end. On paper, the Frenchman should get through, but he has lost so much form in 2021, that it is hard to say if he will win this match. Ramos-Vinolas in 5
Damian Kust: This is a nightmare of an opening-round draw in Monfils’ current form. Maybe the limited French crowd can give him a bit of a boost but Ramos-Vinolas is a former quarterfinalist of this event and is generally as solid as it gets, making him one of the toughest opponents to face when not on top of your game. Ramos-Vinolas in 4
Andreas Seppi vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Yesh: Andreas Seppi is a tough draw for anyone not consistently playing their best. Auger-Aliassime is having some surprising struggles, but he should play well and make his way through. Auger-Aliassime in 4
Eric: This could be a five-setter as Seppi loves to hustle and grind on the clay. Expect an entertaining match and it will be interesting to see how Auger-Aliassime’s game on clay has developed under the tutelage of Toni Nadal. Auger-Aliassime in 5
Damian: Auger-Aliassime doesn’t have many happy memories from his debut in Paris last year but he should be ready to overwrite them with some wins now. Seppi had a very solid indoor season but he’s not in the right match rhythm at the moment, having played just once in the last two months. Auger-Aliassime in 3
Pablo Cuevas vs Lucas Pouille
Yesh: This is always a tough match to predict. Both players are very talented and can win good matches on their day. Neither is consistent enough to be sure about. Cuevas in 5
Eric: Pouille has not played much tennis in the last 12 months, as the Frenchman has been recovering from an injury. He has a tough assignment ahead of him in the first round, playing the clay-court specialist Pablo Cuevas. The Frenchman could get dumped in the first round. Cuevas in 4
Damian: Pouille owns a sole head-to-head win on clay but the Frenchman is still not back in full flight after missing basically the entire 2020 season with injuries. That should give the advantage to Cuevas, although for all his clay-court expertise, he would often disappoint at the French. Cuevas in 4
Ugo Humbert vs Ricardas Berankis
Yesh: I like Humbert’s potential, and he’s pretty rapidly improving currently. Berankis is solid, but I think the Frenchman will ride a home crowd past him. Humbert in 4
Eric: The French crowd will be rooting for their second highest ranked player here in Paris. Humbert’s favourite surface is for sure not clay, but he will get through this round. Humbert in 4
Damian: Humbert lost his last four matches and just like Berankis, he is not comfortable at all on clay. He is sometimes capable of playing on it up to a very high level though and definitely has the much higher ceiling of the two. Maybe the French crowd can help pull him through as well. Humbert in 4
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