The second slam of the year is upon us as the 2025 French Open gets started on Sunday with 20 men’s main draw singles matches. This set of predictions is paced by Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego. Our other prediction articles feature Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann, Tommy Paul vs Elmer Moller, Tomas Machac vs Quentin Halys, and Frances Tiafoe vs Roman Safiullin. Predicting this set of matches is Ilemona Onekutu, Damian Kust, and Tope Oke. Who will advance to round two?
French Open Day 1 Predictions
Brandon Nakashima vs Mariano Navone
Ilemona
Brandon Nakashima’s solid clay results make him the favorite against Mariano Navone, who’s been inconsistent lately. Nakashima should come through in four tight sets.
Prediction: Nakashima in 4
Damian
Navone’s ranking seems a little deceiving. Yes, he hasn’t quite produced the same kind of results as last year. But his quality hasn’t gone down by that much, and he’s just a dangerous floater now. It wouldn’t be shocking if he managed to take down Nakashima here, and he’s probably somewhat close to a 50/50 chance here.
Prediction: Navone in 5
Tope
Mariano Navone entered last year’s French Open as a seeded debutant, reflecting his rapid rise due to his scintillating performances during the clay swing. The Argentine is now struggling to remain in the top No. 100 after being challenged by the second-season syndrome, as performances try to catch up with expectations. His opponent, Brandon Nakashima, doesn’t have any remarkable pedigree on clay but has crossed the first-round hurdle in his two appearances here, and on current form, it won’t be surprising if he makes it three.
Prediction: Nakashima in 5
Nuno Borges vs Kyrian Jacquet
Ilemona
Nuno Borges brings Grand Slam experience and a solid clay-court game into his first-round match against French wildcard Kyrian Jacquet. While Jacquet has momentum from recent Challenger titles and home support, Borges’ higher ranking and tour-level consistency make him the favorite to advance.
Prediction: Borges in 4
Damian
Jacquet gets back on track after a brilliant 13-1 start to the season, which wasn’t really followed up. He plays counter-punching tennis with a lot of craft and variety, which could be an issue for an aggressive player like Borges. But just from the eye test, it seems like the power of the Portuguese might be a little too much in the long run.
Prediction: Borges in 4
Tope
Top ranked Portuguese player Nuno Borges boasts an impressive 11-2 record on opening round matches this season; however, the two losses have come against players ranked outside the top #100 so he will be wary of the big-serving Jacquet who has already won two Challenger titles this year and seemed to have regained his early season form in the qualifiers. Won’t be surprised if the Frenchman wins a set, but in a best-of-five games, Borges will be the last man standing.
Prediction: Borges in 5
Thiago Monteiro vs Vit Kopriva
Ilemona
Vit Kopriva enters the French Open in strong form, having reached the third round at the Italian Open and achieving a career-high ranking of No. 85. Thiago Monteiro has struggled with consistency this season. Given Kopriva’s recent performances and momentum, he is favored to advance.
Prediction: Kopriva in 4
Damian
There is a good opportunity for both in this section of the draw, where the seeds are looking very fragile. Kopriva is having the best season of his career and was finally accepted directly into a Slam. Maybe this is his moment, as Monteiro has been a little out of it of late, suffering a few disappointingly easy exits in the European clay warm-ups.
Prediction: Kopriva in 5
Tope
Vit Kopriva’s reward for breaking into the top #100 is a main draw entry into the French Open after falling short in the qualifiers in three previous years. Luckily for him, he has been pitted against an out-of-form Thiago Monteiro, who has surprisingly lost 7 of his last 8 matches despite playing on his favoured clay. Even more surprising is that he hasn’t won a main-draw match at Roland Garros since 2021! Barring any sudden resurgence from the veteran Brazilian, this is a great opportunity for Kopriva to carry on with his momentum and earn a big win.
Prediction: Kopriva in 4
Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego
Ilemona
Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego meet for the fourth time, with Shelton leading their head-to-head 2–1. Sonego’s sole victory came on clay at Roland Garros in 2023, but Shelton has since improved on the surface, reaching the Munich final this year. Given Shelton’s recent form and slight edge, he is favored to advance in a competitive match.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Damian
This was an Australian Open quarterfinal, so it’s pretty crazy they’re meeting in the opening round here. Neither player has too much momentum going into this event. Usually, Sonego is just the more competent clay-courter, but some of his recent performances were so poor that it’s tough to trust him at the moment.
Prediction: Shelton in 5
Tope
Ben Shelton has already performed above expectations this clay swing by playing the Munich championship match, which he lost to Alexander Zverev. Hardcourts are the Americans’ favorite hunting ground, and even though he enters this encounter as the favorite, it won’t be surprising if he loses to Lorenzo Sonego for the second time in Paris.
Prediction: Sonego in 5
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – Imagn Images
