Second round action at the French Open features veterans Marco Cecchinato and Gael Monfils looking to continue their success on the clay after they played well in their first round matches. We predict all the action in Paris on Day 5, in three other articles. One features Marin Cilic vs Roger Federer, another headlines Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet, and the final features Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas.
Elias Ymer vs Gael Monfils
Damian Kust: It’s a pretty fair assumption that the Ramos-Vinolas result would have been different if it wasn’t for the crowd. Monfils loves entertaining the audience and they love him for it. With the new-found confidence he’ll feel as if he just grew wings. Monfils in 4
Yesh Ginsburg: I always say I love watching Ymer (both of the brothers) play. But how can you pick against Monfils? The Frenchman finally found form and confidence in the opening round, and he’s going to ride it. Monfils in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Federico Coria
Damian: There were slight blips in Berrettini’s level against Taro Daniel and it even led to losing a set. Still, with the Italian’s form at the moment you really need to stand up to him to have a chance and Coria probably doesn’t have it in him. Berrettini in 3
Yesh: Berrettini might not look like a threat to win this tournament right now, but he’s strong. Coria won’t be able to withstand his powerful game. Berrettini in 3
Alex de Minaur vs Marco Cecchinato
Damian: Cecchinato won this one easily last year, so this will be a telling sign of how much De Minaur has actually improved on clay. The Italian plays with great variety but how much of that will actually be easy to employ against someone who covers the court so well? To me, De Minaur might have improved by just enough. De Minaur in 5
Yesh: This should be a good match. De Minaur is likely more talented, but Cecchinato likes the clay better and is finally discovering some of his form from a few years ago. Cecchinato in 4
Taylor Fritz vs Dominik Koepfer
Damian: I’ll stand by the opinion that Fritz is an underrated clay-court player. Sure, his movement might not be the greatest but the serve and forehand combination still works very well here. The lefty Koepfer won’t go away easily though. Fritz in 4
Yesh: Taylor Fritz doesn’t mind the clay too much, but he’s not great on it. Koepfer, meanwhile, likes the surface but isn’t as talented overall. This should be a tight match. Fritz in 5
Main Photo:
