The first round of men’s singles at the French Open wraps up on Day 3. To conclude the round, we are treated to 20 matches on Tuesday. As always, our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on all of the matches. We split the day’s 20 matches between this and four other articles. The other articles feature Alexander Bublik vs Gregoire Barrere, Casper Ruud vs Felipe Meligeni Alves, David Goffin vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Holger Rune vs Dan Evans. Predicting today’s matches are Jim Smith, Jordan Reynolds, and Damian Kust. Who do you think will advance?
French Open Day 3 Predictions
Roberto Carballes Baena vs Constant Lestienne
Jim:
There isn’t much between this pair on paper. But Roberto Carballes Baena is probably the more accomplished clay-courter and he is also having a better year than Constant Lestienne. The advantage of playing on home turf might be enough to see Lestienne into the second round, but the Spaniard looks the likelier winner.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 4
Jordan:
Lestienne is the kind of player who can suddenly come alive when it is not expected. He will need to do that against his Spanish opponent, who is usually rock solid on clay. Lestienne becoming inspired is not impossible,but not quite likely enough for me to back him against Carballes Baena.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 4
Damian:
Lestienne has barely been healthy this year, but has at least managed to get two clay matches in just before the event. He likely won’t have enough to take down Carballes Baena and yet maybe with the home crowd that’s a possibility we can’t exclude. It would require him to really step up his game though.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 4
Taylor Fritz vs Federico Coria
Jim:
Taylor Fritz is still probably more at home on the grass and hard courts than the red clay, but he has made impressive strides on the surface and will surely be targeting a place in the second week. Federico Coria might test him if the Argentine can find his best tennis, but Fritz’s power should give him a decisive edge.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Jordan:
Fritz has improved hugely on clay and early Grand Slam upsets in the early rounds on the dirt are less of a concern than previously. Coria’s determined style is the same every match and he will make Fritz work to win a lot of the points. But that will not be enough to overcome the American’s firepower.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Damian:
One is a clay-court specialist and the other isn’t, but it still feels like the quality gap here is pretty huge. Fritz suffered an early exit to Alex Michelsen in Geneva last week in an otherwise stellar clay season. Coria’s fine and loves this surface, but there’s not much he can really stand up to Fritz with.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Jim:
This pair will know each other well, which should make for an entertaining tactical battle. But at this stage in their careers, Alexei Popyrin has to be the favourite. Thanasi Kokkinakis is probably more naturally gifted than his countryman, but a succession of injuries have limited his career and Popyrin’s easy power may prove too much for Kokkinakis to handle.
Prediction: Popyrin in 5
Jordan:
Popyrin showed his ability on clay with his run to the title in Umag last year. However, that court was much faster than in Paris, which suited his game more. Kokkinakis also prefers quicker courts and this could be a tight battle. It is a tossup but Kokkinakis gets a very slight edge.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Damian:
It’s tough to say which one of the two Australians is the better clay-courter. Kokkinakis hits that whippy forehand with a ton of spin, but Popyrin might simply be more reliable in general. Both can hold their own on the surface and should bring us an entertaining clash. You can probably just flip a coin here.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Novak Djokovic vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Jim:
It has been a tough few months for Novak Djokovic with the world #1 looking half-a-step slow. But beating him over a five sets is a different proposition and the conditions probably don’t suit Pierre-Hugues Herbert. There should be some entertaining rallies, but expect Djokovic to win comfortably.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Jordan:
It feels strange to have some uncertainty surrounding Djokovic heading into a Grand Slam. Luckily, this is a nice draw to start with. Herbert was very dangerous in his prime but he has not been at that level for some time.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Damian:
Yes, we have some massive question marks regarding Djokovic and we’re not really sure what exactly has caused his sudden dip in form this year. Age-related decline, lacking motivation, something else completely? Is it going to be different at a Slam? This match will not give us any of these answers, Herbert just isn’t good enough on clay to beat even 80% Djokovic.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
