The second round of the French Open wraps up on day five as 16 men look to punch their ticket into the final 32. Three-time champion Novak Djokovic leads the way, squaring off against Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Our other prediction pieces feature Jannik Sinner vs Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev vs Jesper de Jong, and Gael Monfils vs Jack Draper. Ateet Shrivastava, Andreas Pelekis, and Tope Oke offer their insights. But who will advance?
French Open Men’s Day 5 Predictions
Arthur Fils vs Jaume Munar
Ateet
Arthur Fils finally crossed the hurdle of winning his first main draw match at the French Open. It was a brilliant performance from the Frenchman against a tough opponent. Jaume Munar will be another stern test, but I believe Fils will feel less weight on his shoulders now that he has opened his account and can make a run here.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Andreas
Munar, at 28 years old, is bringing more power and speed into his game, nearing a career-high ranking of No. 52 in the world. The Spaniard will have to counter Fils’ powerful serve to stay in the match, and Fils tended to wander in his four-set win over Nicolas Jarry earlier in the week. The Frenchman has more weapons to reach the third round, but I expect a close match.
Prediction: Fils in 5
Tope
Arthur Fils finally succeeded in securing his maiden main-draw win at his home slam, defeating the struggling Nicolas Jarry in four sets to face clay specialist Jaume Munar, who has somehow not managed to advance beyond the second round in Paris. While he will be looking to alter that trend, he also hasn’t defeated a top 20 player in any Slam in 12 attempts. The signs don’t look good.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Joao Fonseca vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Ateet
João Fonseca’s dominance over Hubert Hurkacz demonstrated why he is so highly regarded. He was hammering the ball, and the fans enjoyed every minute of it. He might not receive as much support against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the local player. However, the outcome will be the same.
Prediction: Fonseca in 4
Andreas
Fonseca dominated in his first-round match against Hubert Hurkacz, and while the French crowd might rattle the young Brazilian, he has too many weapons in this matchup. Herbert has a strong net game and will have to finesse Fonseca with volleys and touch, as the Brazilian will otherwise control the court from the baseline.
Prediction: Fonseca in 3
Tope
Due to his immense popularity, wonderkid Joao Fonseca will probably feel more at home than his French opponent Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who ousted his compatriot Benjamin Bonzi to notch his first Slam win in five years. Herbert has progressed beyond the second round just once in five attempts, and against a player who hasn’t beaten anyone ranked outside the top 100 this year, this is as far he’ll go.
Prediction: Fonseca in 3
Alexander Shevchenko vs Ethan Quinn
Ateet
Lucky loser, Alexander Shevchenko, made the most of his second opportunity and played one of his better matches on clay to defeat Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. This victory would boost his confidence and make him a slight favourite against Ethan Quinn, who got slightly lucky as Grigor Dimitrov suffered a thigh injury and had to retire mid-match.
Prediction: Shevchenko in 5
Andreas
Both players are yet to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, making this matchup all the more mental. Notably, Quinn and Shevchenko also reached this stage from the qualifying rounds, with lots of tennis under their belts. I might give the edge to Shevchenko, who has a bit more experience on clay courts compared to Quinn; the American is playing just his eighth ATP main draw-level match on clay, compared to the Kazakh’s 37th.
Prediction: Shevchenko in 5
Tope
Ethan Quinn rode his luck in his French Open debut, advancing to the next round despite being a set down against Grigor Dimitrov, with the Bulgarian retiring after conceding the third set. He now faces Shevchenko, who surprisingly demolished veteran Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. The Kazakh is a dangerous player, but often inconsistent, and the outcome of their first encounter will be determined by the version of him that steps onto the court.
Prediction: Quinn in 5
Novak Djokovic vs Corentin Moutet
Ateet
Novak Djokovic didn’t have to be at his best to defeat Mackenzie McDonald and will look to improve against Corentin Moutet. Djokovic’s best shot was his serve against McDonald, and he will need that to stay solid against Moutet to avoid many long rallies. Moutet is a tricky player but lacks a big serve and powerful ground strokes.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Andreas
In two previous meetings, Djokovic won both his matches against the Frenchman in straight sets. The Serb looked strong in his opening match, and Moutet doesn’t have a ton of weapons that could hurt Djokovic. While Moutet’s energy and ups-and-downs might get him a set, he has a rather lackluster 8-9 record this season, and likely won’t have enough to make it a tense match.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Tope
Djokovic will be feeling confident after winning his first title of the year and following it up with his opening-round victory over Mackenzie McDonald. However, he has dropped a set in two of his last three matches. Moutet understands that the challenge before him is tough, but he is bringing some momentum into this match. The Frenchman has only lost in straight sets once in his past 10 games at the French Open, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he upsets the legend.
Prediction: Djokovic in 5
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – Imagn Images
