With 16 matches on the slate, there should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day four at the French Open. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all the action from Roland Garros, including Alexander Zverev vs Tomas Machac, Rafael Jodar vs James Duckworth, and Joao Fonseca vs Dino Prizmic. But who wil reach the third round?
French Open Day 4 Predictions
Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Royer
Ateet: Novak Djokovic took some time to get going against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his first match at the French Open, but he got better as the match progressed and will cherish the reps he got without having to play for four hours. I expect an easier match from Djokovic against Valentin Royer.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Harsh: Djokovic as always found a way after a slow start in his first round match. The Serb will no doubt get better from here onwards and his second round opponent Royer should be manageable for Djokovic. Expect Djokovic to be solid in his win here.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Zain: Djokovic battled past Mpetshi Perricard in the first round to win in four sets. His reward for that will be to face another Frenchman in Royer, who had a confident first-round performance himself. Ultimately, in the early-round matches of a Slam, while Djokovic may at this age be prone to drop a set or two, his ball quality and experience are just too much for me to think he will be losing early in a tournament he will undoubtedly be highly motivated for.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Thiago Agustin Tirante
Ateet: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina did extremely well to win his first-round match in five sets, as he was struggling with the heat and had no legs, particularly in the fifth set. However, I don’t see him pulling it off again against an in-form player like Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Prediction: Tirante in 4
Harsh: Davidovich Fokina will need to be wary of Tirante in a second round match that could see a seeded player losing. Davidovich Fokina has not had a good clay court season thus far and expectedly struggled in his first round match while Tirante did improve as the match went on. Expect Tirante to make things difficult for Davidovich Fokina with his serve and his ability to elongate rallies.
Prediction: Tirante in 4
Zain: This matchup will likely be determined from the baseline, as Tirante is a traditional clay courter who looks to grind out matches, while Davidovich Fokina is a baseliner who likes to get creative from the back of the court. While Tirante had a straight-sets victory in the first round, Davidovich Fokina had to battle through a five-set match in which he showed some physical issues. If those issues remain, this could get tough for him as Tirante will look to prolong the rallies. But if those issues were just cramps and Davidovich Fokina has overcome them already, I expect the Spaniard to advance.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 4
Karen Khachanov vs Marco Trungelliti
Ateet: Karen Khachanov was fantastic in the first round and played like he had something to prove in this tournament. Marco Trungelliti will pose a challenge, but if Khachanov keeps his level from the first match, he should win.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Harsh: Khachanov can be the dark horse as he has it in him to reach the second week here under the radar. He has started strong and his next opponent Trungelliti does not have the fire power from the baseline to trouble the thirteenth seed. Expect Khachanov to put up another strong performance.
Prediction: Khachnanov in 3
Zain: Marco Trungelliti’s clay court season so far has been the best swing of his life as he not only made a final but also became the oldest man in ATP history to make his debut in the top 100 rankings. But his run at the French Open likely comes to an end here against Karen Khachanov, who, despite clay not being his best surface, is just too consistent a counterpuncher from the baseline to come through, even if this is competitive.
Prediction: Khachanov in 5
Nuno Borges vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Ateet: Both these players had tough first-round opponents, but they handled it with aplomb. Miomir Kecmanovic won 79% of first serve points while Nuno Borges won 72%, which are solid numbers on clay. I expect a long and thrilling match here, but Kecmanovic’s head-to-head advantage gives him a slight edge.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 5
Harsh: Borges took out Toma Martin Etcheverry in a pretty one-sided match which was unexpected. He now faces Kecmanovic who also emerged victorious in a one sided match. Both of them are evenly matched and while Borges did take out the higher seed, Kecmanovic enters this tournament on the back of a Challenger event win and he should be able to stay more aggressive from the baseline.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 4
Zain: This is likely to be an exciting encounter, which will be primarily decided by which player can be more decisive from the baseline. Miomir Kecmanovic will look to make the rallies longer and induce Nuno Borges into errors, while Borges’ all-out attack will have only one aim: to out-hit his opponent. On clay, I think Kecmanovic can use his defensive capabilities and construct points well enough that Borges ultimately has a negative winners-to-unforced-errors ratio. If he does so, he should advance to the next round at the French Open.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 5
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
