We wrap up the second round of both men’s and women’s singles on Day 5 of the French Open. On Thursday, we’ll find see who finishes out the Round of 32 lineup. As always, we here at LWOT share our thoughts on all of the matches for you. We split the day’s 16 matches between this article and three others–featuring Casper Ruud vs Giulio Zeppieri, Tommy Paul vs Nicolas Jarry, and Holger Rune vs Gael Monfils. Predicting Thursday’s matches are Shane Black, Damian Kust, and Jack Edward. Who do you think will advance?
French Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Shane:
Grigor Dimitrov cruised to a straight-set Round 1 victory and has played with a lot of confidence in May. Emil Ruusuvuroi lacks consistency on the clay and will be frustrated by Dimitrov’s baseline play.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Damian:
Dimitrov is coming off a run in Geneva, where he pulled off two insane comebacks to make his first final in five years. That’s bound to give him some confidence and he certainly looked like that against Timofey Skatov. Ruusuvuori is no pushover though, even on clay recently. The last few events, the Finn just had really tough draws.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Jack:
Emil Ruusuvuori should be doing big things on a clay court but it just isn’t happening for him. His serve isn’t where he’d like it to be and he could do with tightening up a few screws in the bigger points. Grigor Dimitrov is certainly vulnerable in Paris but he still feels like the safer bet as his experience might allow him to eek out the win.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 5
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Alex de Minaur vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Shane:
Alex de Minaur faces a tough Round 2 battle against clay-court ringer Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The Argentine is 13-6 on the surface since April and has given some good battles to top players. Etcheverry will win his fair share of free points on his serve, but ultimately I favor de Minaur’s ability to win the long rallies.
Prediction: de Minaur in 5
Damian:
This one could be a gem. De Minaur paid so much attention over the years to improving his clay court game and he’s definitely succeeded, although this season it hasn’t really granted him a standout result. Against such an expert dirtballer as Etcheverry, this one simply looks like a coin toss and could deliver some excellent quality.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Jack:
Alex de Minaur will be up against it here, usually preferring conditions where some of his pace is generated for him. Tomas Martin Etcheverry won’t afford him that luxury. He’s a consummate clay-courter that will trade deliberate, heavy blows with the Aussie. Martin Etcheverry’s stock has risen all clay swing–Paris is where it culminates.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 4
Jannik Sinner vs Daniel Altmaier
Shane:
Jannik Sinner is my dark horse to win the French Open. He is playing with confidence and has a strong history in Paris. Daniel Altmaier has been impressive on the clay this year and may push the Italian in a set, but this is Sinner’s match to lose.
Prediction: Sinner in 4
Damian:
First real test for Sinner with Altmaier doing well in Madrid and Rome (and also having pushed him before). I’m not convinced about the Italian being a bona fide title contender at Roland Garros yet, but he’s certainly in the third tier of contenders at least and should be able to handle what the German throws at him.
Prediction: Sinner in 4
Jack:
There is some passiveness to Daniel Altmaier’s preferred style of play–give Jannik Sinner time on clay and you’re toast. The Italian’s level was in question prior to the tournament but he put some of those doubts to bed in losing six games to Alexandre Muller. Altmaier will be forced to play too far outside of his comfort zone to trouble Sinner.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Arthur Rinderknech
Shane:
Taylor Fritz looked dominant in his Round 1 victory, dropping just four games to Michael Mmoh. Fritz has shown more consistency on the clay this year and is a dark horse to make a run deep into the second week. Arthur Rinderknech will have the crowd on his side, but he does not have the firepower to hang with the top-ranked American.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Damian:
Fritz didn’t have a real test against an injured Michael Mmoh in the opening round, but no one needs to be convinced about how his clay court game has improved over the years. Rinderknech is still quite early in his comeback from another injury, but he did fine to dispatch Richard Gasquet. This could actually end up being tricky, but Fritz remains the favorite.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Jack:
Taylor Fritz’s extremely one-sided win over Michael Mmoh showcased just how comfortable the World #8 currently is at playing offensively on a clay court. Arthur Rinderknech packs his own punch but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fritz playing consistently huge enough to get the straight sets win here.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
