Day 3 at the French Open sees the conclusion of the first round in both the women’s and men’s draws. There are 20 matches (each) scheduled for Tuesday, and as always, we’re here to predict them all for you. We split the 20 women’s matches between five articles. In addition to this article we have four others–featuring Aryna Sabalenka vs Chloe Paquet, Danielle Collins vs Viktoriya Tomova, Paula Badosa vs Fiona Ferro, and Simona Halep vs Nastasja Mariana Schunk. Predicting these matches are Fraser Learmonth, Johnny Connell, and Jim Smith. Who do you think will win?
French Open Day 3 Women’s Predictions
Irina Bara vs Yulia Putintseva
Fraser:
Putintseva wins here. Bara makes her living on the red dirt but she has never been able to produce the quality required to be a mainstay on the WTA Tour. By contrast, the Kazakh has been a borderline elite player in the women’s game for some time now and just made the finals in Rome. If she plays at that level here this won’t be close.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Johnny:
Irina Bara did well to come through the qualifying draw this week but is unlikely to enjoy much success in the main draw. Yulia Putintseva does her best work at Roland Garros, twice a quarterfinalist in Paris. Putintseva is a class above and should be too strong in this matchup.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Jim:
Yulia Putintseva has not been at her best this season, but her run to the third round at the Italian Open was promising and she usually saves her best tennis for Roland Garros. Irina bara, meanwhile, enjoyed a fine run through the qualifying, but Putintseva should have too much for the Romanian.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Taylor Townsend vs Caroline Garcia
Fraser:
This match is surprisingly difficult to call. Garcia at her best is a sight to behold and one of the better players in the women’s game. She hasn’t been there for a while though and at her worst she is difficult to watch. Townsend is a tricky opponent with form behind her, having won an ITF event in Charleston recently. Garcia is the better player but hasn’t played on clay in months, so I’m giving the edge to the American here.
Prediction: Townsend in 3
Johnny:
Taylor Townsend is still very early in her comeback to the tour. The American had some success in the three ITF events she competed in since her return, we’ll get a stronger indication of her level in Paris. I suspect Garcia will be too good, at least I think she should be too good. Garcia continues to be a disappointment, but this is a good opportunity for her to get a win at her home Grand Slam.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Jim:
With both players at their best when playing attacking all-court tennis, this should be an entertaining watch for the fans at the French Open. But it is hard to look past Caroline Garcia’s greater affinity for the clay. The Frenchwoman will also benefit from the support of the home crowd. That should be enough to see her safely into the second round.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Jessica Pegula vs Qiang Wang
Fraser:
Pegula walks this. Wang is a talented player, but not at her best on clay. She also hasn’t been anywhere near her best since the COVID-19 pandemic began. By contrast, Pegula is enjoying her highest ever ranking and has been red hot on clay in recent weeks.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Johnny:
Jessica Pegula and Qiang Wang have been in contrasting from throughout the clay court swing. Pegula notably reached the final in Madrid and is therefore a strong favourite in this matchup. All things being equal, there is little to choose between these two, both play a pretty similar style and have similar capabilities. I can’t pick Wang with any confidence right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised by a competitive match.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Jim:
Jessica Pegula was not exactly known for her clay-court prowess before this season, but she has impressed on the terre battue in 2022. Wang Qiang, in contrast, has not yet won a match at tour-level on the surface this season. It is hard to see her picking up her first against the in-form Pegula.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Karolina Pliskova vs Tessah Andrianjafitrimo
Fraser:
At different times throughout the last year I’d have been tempted to pick Pliskova to lose here. However, she is fresh off a semifinal run in Strasbourg and has played great tennis on clay in recent years. Her big serve and clean ball-striking should be enough to see here through comfortably here.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Johnny:
Karolina Pliskova definitely isn’t at her best these days, and she becomes even more vulnerable on the red clay. Nevertheless, she should prove to be a class above Tessah Andrianjafitrimo who hasn’t achieved anything of note at this level. Pliskova showed some better signs last week in Strasbourg where she reached the semifinals, a result she can build on in Paris with this favorable opening round draw.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Jim:
Tessah Andrianjafitrimo put together a battling run through the qualifying in Rabat and came close to scoring a memorable victory over her Kristina Mladenovic in the first round. But Karolina Pliskova had probably the perfect week in Strasbourg, getting four matches under her belt but exiting early enough to give her time to prepare for this match. Expect her to overpower the wildcard.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
