The second round of men’s singles at the French Open starts on Day 4 of the event. A full half of the draw is playing, which means 16 matches. As always, we here at LWOT will share our thoughts on all of them with you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this article, the other three feature Jannik Sinner vs Richard Gasquet, Carlos Alcaraz vs Jesper De Jong, and Frances Tiafoe vs Denis Shapovalov. Predicting today’s matches are Tope Oke, Ateet Shrivastava, and Damian Kust. Who do you think will advance?
French Open Day 4 Predictions
Zizou Bergs vs Maximilian Marterer
Tope:
Zizou Bergs was billed to be one of the dark horses of this tournament and he showed why with a sensational comeback win over clay court specialist Alejandro Tabilo in Round 1. Even though Marterer was very impressive in his demolition job of Jordan Thompson, I’ll expect Bergs to continue his fine form
Prediction: Bergs in 5
Ateet:
Zizou Bergs came back from down a set and a break to cause an upset in his first-round match. This was his first main draw win at a Slam. Bergs has improved on clay and has a great chance to reach the third round. Maximilian Marterer produced a surprisingly good level in his first-round match, considering he hasn’t won a main draw match this year. Bergs should win this match if he brings his best level.
Prediction: Bergs in 4
Damian:
Bergs stole the second set against Tabilo in incredible circumstances with the No. 24 seed serving for it three times. His opponent faded away completely after that, which likely grants the Belgian that Top 100 debut that had eluded him for so long. But his goals for this event have to be much higher now. Marterer has had a rough season and the draw can open up for Bergs as he takes over Tabilo’s spot in the draw.
should win this match if he brings his best level.
Prediction: Bergs in 4
Stan Wawrinka vs Pavel Kotov
Tope:
San Wawrinka won the battle of the veterans against Andy Murray in the first round and now meets Pavel Kotov who he is 14 years older than. The longer the match goes, the likelier the Russian will win and I expect him to especially after his comeback win over Cameron Norrie in the opener.
Prediction: Kotov in 5
Ateet:
Stan Wawrinka is not in his prime anymore but he displayed a great level against Andy Murray. His serve and first shot were too much to handle and produced some vintage backhand down the line. Pavel Kotov beat Cameron Norrie in the first round to get his first main draw win at the French Open. He will not be an easy opponent for Wawrinka but if the Swiss can keep the points short he has a good chance.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Damian:
Wawrinka defeated Murray on clay again and it’s actually a very important one for the Swiss, who had been struggling to get any wins done this year. Now he gets to face Kotov, who came through a five-setter with Norrie and should provide a much tougher challenge to the 2015 champion. At this stage of their careers, it feels like the Russian is more of a sure thing and he’ll make Wawrinka have to earn this, also on a physical level, to try to win again.
Prediction: Kotov in 5
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Daniel Altmaier
Tope:
Daniel Altmaier repelled Laslo Djere’s fightback in the opener in an encounter that required 60 matches to decide. Will he have enough in his tank to defeat a red-hot Tsitsipas who overran Maton Fuscovics in straight sets? I think not.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 4
Ateet:
Stefanos Tsitsipas got through unscathed in a tough first-round match against Marton Fucsovics. He was clutch in important points and that proved to be the difference. Daniel Altmaier has a flashy game and can red-line, but he’s had a poor clay season, and only just got past Laslo Djere who was coming back from injury. But he’s peaked at the French Open before against Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini. Tsitsipas should win this battle of one-handers without too much fuss.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 4
Damian:
Altmaier produced a huge upset on this very stage last year, taking out Sinner in round two. It feels like the seed he’s playing right now is less vulnerable though and has to be eyeing a deep run after a brilliant clay season so far. Tsitsipas didn’t even get the comfortable draw but just like in round one, he’s likely playing far too well to give Altmaier a chance here.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Ben Shelton vs Kei Nishikori
Tope:
Kei Nishikori knows how to up his level in the Majors. He had played just a single match all season before grinding out a win over the in-form Gabriel Diallo in round one. The Japanese legend will pose a stern challenge, but Shelton will be too tenacious.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Ateet:
Ben Shelton won his first match at the French Open against a very tricky opponent. He played a great match after dropping the first set. Best-of-five matches suit Shelton’s game as he has time to correct his mistakes. It’s so good to see Kei Nishikori back and he won a five-setter again. This should be a very interesting match but lack of match fitness will affect Nishikori’s chances.
Prediction: Shelton in 3
Damian:
Nishikori’s form was a little holiday-ish in the opening round as he was only playing his second match of the season, but he got by Diallo in five sets on sheer talent and plenty of determination in the decider. Shelton isn’t at his most dangerous on clay and would generally be on upset alert. You can’t imagine Nishikori winning another very physical match here though.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
