Day 6 of the 2020 French Open is upon us as seeds will start to play each other in round three. Well, at least the seeds that have made it so far, with the tournament presenting a good amount of upsets. We also have predictions for the rest of Friday’s matches, including Rafael Nadal vs Stefano Travaglia. The panel for today consists of Andrew Watson, Jim Smith and Damian Kust.
French Open Men’s Day 6 Predictions
Sebastian Korda vs Pedro Martinez
Andrew: Not many would’ve picked this out as a third-round match but both have been very impressive. I am giving the edge to the Spaniard here, his comfort in these specific conditions has been very noticeable.
Prediction: Martinez in 4
Jim: Korda may not have been raised on the clay like Martinez, but he has proven himself a capable clay-court player so far in Paris. Of course, Martinez has also looked sharp, but Korda seems to have an extra gear in his game. If he can find it against the Spaniard, it should secure him a place in the fourth round at a Major.
Prediction: Korda in 5
Damian: From the start of the tournament, this seemed like a fantastic opportunity for the Spaniard. He’s clearly giving it his best to take it. The young American can play on clay but he is not as methodical as Martinez, whose years of hard work on the tennis tour are finally paying off.
Prediction: Martinez in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Diego Schwartzman vs Norbert Gombos
Andrew: The Argentine is looking primed for a deep run here. Norbert Gombos will have to have an excellent day on shot production to keep the Argentine at bay, but it difficult to see how the Slovakian will defeat the movement of Diego.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Jim: It has been an excellent run so far for Gombos and, after the struggles lower-ranked players have endured this year, a timely one which will net him 126,000 euros in prize money. But it will surely end here. Schwartzman has been in excellent form of late and should be able to outmanoeuvre the Slovakian without too many problems.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Damian: It’s been a great effort from Gombos to make the third round here, playing some great attacking tennis. But Schwartzman has been looking absolutely imperious since that Nadal win at the Italian Open and his defense will make this match a nightmare for Gombos.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Alexander Zverev vs Marco Cecchinato
Andrew: Unless the German produces a marked improvement from his second-round performance he could be going out here. Cecchinato has played his way into the tournament and we all know that means he is a very dangerous opponent, with the Italian a former-French Open semifinalist. But Zverev has found a way of winning these matches recently, except of course in the US Open final! I will back him to just about find a way here too.
Prediction: Zverev in 5
Alexander Zverev vs Marco Cecchinato
Jim: Zverev has not been entirely convincing so far in Paris although, in truth, it would be a surprise if he had been. But he has been finding a way to win tough matches lately and his experience at the Majors should not be overlooked. Cecchinato does strike a very clean ball when he is on song and has enough nous to make this a difficult day for Zverev. But this is a test the German should back himself to pass.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Damian: Zverev did not impress against Pierre-Hugues Herbert but he somehow found a way through. This has been a pretty common theme for him recently. Cecchinato is playing very well and possesses great variety to mix up the game from the ground. It won’t be easy for him to use it though against an opponent who covers the court so well. The slow conditions also give a slight advantage to Zverev.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Casper Ruud vs Dominic Thiem
Andrew: You know the third round has arrived when these quality matches begin to get played. Thiem has yet to lose a set in the tournament but that run may come to an end here. Ruud probably could have done without going five sets against Tommy Paul if he was going to have a realistic chance of beating the Austrian. Thiem will know that this is an opportunity to put down a real statement and hopefully, we see an excellent match, but I think that the Austrian will probably have too much for the Norwegian this time.
Prediction: Thiem in 4
Jim: Thiem has made swift progress through the French Open draw so far, but Ruud is good enough to give him a real test. But is he good enough to beat him? It’s hard to see it. The slow conditions will surely favour the power of Thiem and the Austrian has looked assured so far.
Prediction: Thiem in 4
Damian: After two comfortable opening round matches, this is where the nightmare draw starts for Thiem. With a possible Wawrinka match looming, the Austrian will not want to lose too much energy here. That might not be up to him though as he’s facing a very much in-form opponent. Ruud’s big topspin shots work extremely well on clay but I think Thiem will do enough with his power to keep pushing the Norwegian behind the baseline.
Prediction: Thiem in 4
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
