Dominic Thiem is usually the winner when he plays matches at Roland Garros, he will have a tough round 1 encounter with Pablo Andujar though. We have predictions for all of the day 1 matches, spread across four other articles. One features Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jeremy Chardy, another highlights Grigor Dimitrov vs Marcos Giron, the third headlines Kei Nishikori vs Alessandro Giannessi, and the fourth features Fabio Fognini vs Gregoire Barrere.
Pablo Andujar vs Dominic Thiem
Damian Kust: Pablo Andujar will be arriving in Paris very high on confidence, having scored a win over Roger Federer and a semifinal appearance in Geneva. Dominic Thiem is in suboptimal form and a matchup like this will seriously test his ground game. I still think he takes it, but I wouldn’t expect it to be comfortable. Thiem in 4
Jim Smith: This is a tough first-round draw for the out of form Dominic Thiem, who still looks to be suffering from the hangover of his success at last year’s US Open. But although Pablo Andujar is not to be underestimated, particularly in the wake of his victory over Roger Federer a fortnight ago in Geneva, it would be a surprise were he able to get the better of Thiem over the course of five sets. Thiem in 4
Yannick Hanfmann vs Henri Laaksonen
Damian: One of the very few first-round matches that feel like actual toss-ups. Before the qualifying campaign the form advantage had to be with Yannick Hanfmann but with all the match practice in Paris conditions that Henri Laaksonen received, he probably edges ahead by a fair bit. Laaksonen in 5
Jim: This match could probably go either way, with both men liking to take big cuts at the ball. But Yannick Hanfmann has that much more clay-court pedigree and, typically, a firmer grasp of his own game. This may well go the distance, but expect the German to be the man to reach the second round. Hanfmann in 5
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Mackenzie McDonald
Damian: The Finn is struggling to find form and clay is definitely his weakest surface. Meanwhile, Mackenzie McDonald was stellar in his qualifying campaign, despite encountering one of the toughest draws possible (Thanasi Kokkinakis, Renzo Olivo, Marco Trungelliti). McDonald in 4
Jim: Emil Ruusuvuori has made it clear in recent weeks that he does not have much of an appetite for clay-court tennis, losing all three matches he has played on the surface so far this season, managing to win just one set. With Mackenzie McDonald having impressed in coming through the qualifying, expect the American to have the edge here. McDonald in 3
Roman Safiullin vs Carlos Taberner
Damian: Carlos Taberner needed just 196 minutes to qualify, losing only six games. Roman Safiullin’s run was a lot more random, especially when you look at the fact that he was yet to win a match on clay this season. This is arguably one of the strongest qualifiers against one of the weakest. Taberner in 3
Jim: This is a huge opportunity for both men to reach the second round at a Major. That is a feat that Carlos Taberner has not yet managed, with this set to be just his second appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam. But his run through the qualifying was so dominant – the Spaniard lost only six games in three matches – that it is hard to see his tournament ending here. Taberner in 4
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