After a rocket of a Sunday start that saw Stefanos Tsitsipas thoroughly tested while Hubert Hurkacz and Karen Khachanov had to go five sets in their openers, Day 2 at the French Open will see top contenders Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz begin their campaigns. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Will we see a first-round upset?
French Open Day 2 Predictions
Dominic Thiem vs Pedro Cachin
Jack Edward: Dominic Thiem is yet to inspire a ton of confidence in his fans. His game is still shaky in the bigger moments and he’s yet to post a result great enough to consider him back in the mix. A player of Pedro Cachin’s quality has more than enough power to take this. I think Thiem’s woes are set to continue for a while.
Prediction: Cachin in 4
Nurein Ahmed: Tennis can be a cruel sport. Thiem played Nadal at the peak of his powers in two French Open finals. Now with Nadal out of the picture, this ought to have been his moment to seize upon. Unfortunately, the Austrian seems to have hit the first phase of his decline. This could be an upset in the making considering just how good Cachin is on this surface.
Prediction: Cachin in 5
Damian Kust: Thiem is now a bit of a mediocre tour-level player it seems and Cachin is more or less at the same power level. The Argentinian did extremely well at altitude in Madrid, but taking that to Paris is easier said than done. Maybe a slight nod to Thiem, but it really looks extremely close at the moment.
Prediction: Thiem in 5
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Alexei Popyrin vs Aslan Karatsev
Jack: Aslan Karatsev looks set to back up his semifinal run in Madrid, coming through qualifying without dropping a set. Alexei Popyrin is no laughing matter, however, the Australian threatening to make a breakthrough sooner rather than later. With the conditions likely to be fairly bouncy, Popyrin could rattle through enough service games to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Popyrin in 5
Nurein: Karatsev had a fine qualifying run and was the one qualifier the top seeds wanted to avoid. Instead, he’ll take on a player who seems to have enjoyed a resurgent season in 2023. It will be lively and Popyrin with his humongous serve cannot be underestimated. Expecting a thriller with a tiny edge to Karatsev.
Prediction: Karatsev in 4
Damian: Will Karatsev be a serious dark horse contender? The draw would suggest so. Despite his Rome run, Popyrin is still hardly a force on slower clay. The Russian wasn’t perfect in the qualifying, but saved every issue he faced with clarity of mind. If that continues, not only Popyrin will be in trouble.
Prediction: Karatsev in 4
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Jiri Lehecka vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Jack: There is latent potential to Jiri Lehecka’s game but he’s not learned how to consistently channel it yet, his level fluctuating from match to match. Jan-Lennard Struff’s run to the Madrid Masters final was no fluke— any signs of hesitancy and the German should be able to dictate proceedings.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Nurein: Lehecka had a great ride at the Australian Open but he seems to have hit the buffers of late. Struff is the new German No. 1 and he’ll prove it here.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Damian: This could be one of the matchups of the round, but Lehecka’s form has kinda disappeared and he retired in Turin recently. That makes Struff a pretty sizable favorite, even if the disparity between his A and B game can still be quite extreme. Maybe we’ll see fireworks here, but that depends on Lehecka’s fitness.
Prediction: Struff in 4
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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Fabio Fognini
Jack: Many will fancy Fabio Fognini to take this match against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian had a shoulder injury scare last week and he’s had a pretty dire clay season regardless. After a poor Slam season last year, it’s easy to forget the level Auger-Aliassime can reach at these events—the top 10 player should be able to dig deep to grind this one out.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4
Nurein: I guess the big question is whether Auger-Aliassime will recover in time for this match. Fognini is the enigma of Italian tennis and is capable of making a match out of this. But the Canadian should survive by the skin of his teeth.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Damian: Auger-Aliassime had a great run in Paris last year, but even that almost ended in round one to Juan Pablo Varillas. His warm-ups haven’t gone according to plan either. Fognini might not be in his best shape right now, but he obviously has the game to win this. Fitness? Not so much.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
