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, Holger Rune vs Gael Monfils, and Taylor Fritz vs Arthur Rinderknech. 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
Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan
Shane:
Alexander Zverev is back in Paris one year after his brutal ankle injury. He has turned the corner during the clay season and has a chance to make some noise over the next two weeks. Alex Molcan will be a tricky test, especially in lengthy baseline rallies. I expect Zverev to serve better than he did in Round 1 and escape with a four-set victory.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Damian:
Zverev is painfully far off his best, but this is a matchup he probably can survive. Molcan has been out of form for a while now himself. The German will need to play better than in his opening round against Lloyd Harris, but also not that much better. Might be a drag though with Molcan knowing how to make the opponents uncomfortable.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Jack:
This clay season, Alexander Zverev has lost twice to Daniil Medvedev, once to Carlos Alcaraz, once to Nicolas Jarry at altitud,e and once to an outlier in Christopher O’Connell. It’s not quite the form that took him to the semifinals but it’s formidable enough against the majority of the tour. Alex Molcan should be respected on this surface but Zverev is playing well enough to get through.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
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Borna Coric vs Pedro Cachin
Shane:
Borna Coric is 8-2 in his last ten clay-court matches. He has been playing with consistency and confidence, which has him ranked in the Top 20. Pedro Cachin is coming off a grueling five-set victory and will not have the legs to hang against Coric.
Prediction: Coric in 4
Damian:
Coric wasn’t convincing in his opening round against Federico Coria, while Cachin led Dominic Thiem two sets to love and had to win it in the fifth. The Croat had some big runs this clay season, but he’s actually not that dangerous on slower clay. This could be a spot for Cachin to take advantage.
Prediction: Cachin in 5
Jack:
Borna Coric may have made the quarters in Rome but there’s a pretty strong argument to be made his portion of the draw opened up. It looks as though the same thing is happening in Paris—Coric could well take advantage against a decent (but not top-tier) clay-courter in Pedro Cachin. How far can the Croat go?
Prediction: Coric in 4
Yoshihito Nishioka vs Max Purcell
Shane:
Yoshihito Nishioka overcame a two-set deficit against J.J. Wolf in Round 1. Although that will greatly affect his confidence, he once again proved that clay is not his best surface. Max Purcell has been a Challenger-level savant this year, and I believe now is his time to make a mark at a Slam.
Prediction: Purcell in 4
Damian:
This is an interesting non-clay matchup with both players finding themselves in a little section of the draw where no one likes the dirt. Who can handle it better? It probably takes a little less away from Nishioka with the lefty topspin forehand working with the surface pretty well. Not going to be a surprise if Purcell somehow grinds this out though.
Prediction: Nishioka in 5
Jack:
Max Purcell has been given a chance against fellow non-clay-courter Yoshihito Nishioka. Purcell should be able to keep things close with his ability to pressurise Nishioka’s backhand with his unique transition game but I still think the Japanese is the favourite here given his annoyingly high rally temperament.
Prediction: Nishioka in 5
Tommy Paul vs Nicolas Jarry
Shane:
Tommy Paul and Nicolas Jarry did not break a sweat in their respective Round 1 victories. Jarry’s serve can be a great equalizer, but Paul is one of the best returners in the spot. His athleticism and baseline consistency will frustrate Jarry and force him into many unforced errors.
Prediction: Paul in 4
Damian:
The fact that Jarry won a tournament last week doesn’t give him that much besides confidence as the conditions in Geneva don’t have that much to do with the ones in Paris. He actually hasn’t had a slow clay run this year at all, but his draw is good enough that Roland Garros might be his first.
Prediction: Jarry in 5
Jack:
This is a great opportunity for Nicolas Jarry to capitalise on his great clay season this year. Geneva worked wonders on his serve but there’s no denying the Chilean is still playing very well at the back of the court too. Tommy Paul hasn’t really done anything to prove himself on clay yet so this should be Jarry’s time to shine.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Main Photo Credit: Zoe Meyers/The Desert Sun/USAToday Sports
