Expect an entertaining day two at the French Open with 24 matches on the schedule in Paris. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka, Stan Wawrinka vs Corentin Moutet, Jordan Thompson vs Rafael Nadal, Dan Evans vs Francisco Cerundolo and Sebastian Korda vs John Millman. But who will reach the second round?
French Open Day 2 Predictions
Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna vs Taylor Fritz
Damian: Some qualifiers could hurt Taylor Fritz on clay, but Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna will probably struggle. His forehand is so dangerous when it’s clicking, but the backhand holds him back a lot. The American is very all-rounded these days and should be able to punish his opponents’ limitations, even if his clay game remains a bit suspicious.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Yesh: Fritz is on the rise and was gifted an unheralded opponent in the opening round. The American should cruise.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Jakub: Rodriguez Taverna’s reputation as a streaky player was accentuated by how the Argentine started his year, winning his first Challenger title and following it up with a final before going on a five-match losing streak. The 22-year-old looked good in qualifying, particularly impressing with a win over Dimitar Kuzmanov. Fritz won the biggest title of his career so far in Indian Wells and looked decent in his Monte Carlo quarterfinal run but the American has not played since. Fritz is very much the favorite, though Rodriguez Taverna may surprise him early on.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
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Atilla Balazs vs Marin Cilic
Damian: Attila Balazs is making his way after a very long injury lay-off. He’s only played two events so far and retired in his last match. Health is a question mark and while Marin Cilic is not at his best on clay, he shouldn’t struggle here at all.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
Yesh: Cilic very rarely finds his elite form nowadays, but even a middling Cilic should be too much for Balazs to handle.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
Jakub: Cilic has not made it past the second round at Roland Garros since 2018, though that is mostly down to unfavorable draws. His clay results have been middle of the road but his level should be enough to advance. Balazs came back after a 14-month break in April but had to retire from his most recent match at the Mauthausen Challenger.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
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Mackenzie McDonald vs Franco Agemenone
Damian: Franco Agamenone makes the main draw as a lucky loser and gets a very winnable matchup. Clay-court tennis isn’t exactly Mackenzie McDonald’s forte and someone as solid as the Italian can expose that. Agamenone doesn’t have that much potential but he’s got all the tools to give his opponent lots of trouble here.
Prediction: Agamenone in 5
Yesh: Agemenone had an impressive rising career in Futures events before a doping ban. He’s been just as impressive since, but it hasn’t felt the same. McDonald, meanwhile, is a solid Tour-level player, which should be more than enough.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
Jakub: McDonald is 2-5 on clay this year and even though he did not suffer any bad losses, the record does not inspire confidence going into this match-up. Agamenone comes in as a lucky loser but the Italian had one of the most impressive wins in all of qualifying when he took out Daniel Elahi Galan. The 29-year-old’s story is a great one, making his slam debut after spending most of his career struggling on the ITF tour and there is a good chance it will be a winning one.
Prediction: Agamenone in 4
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Benoit Paire vs Ilya Ivashka
Damian: You never know what you’re going to get with Benoit Paire, but he likes the experience of playing on the big stage. Still, after a terrible start to his season, Ilya Ivashka picked up plenty of steam in Geneva with the win against Denis Shapovalov. It would have to be quite the performance from the Frenchman.
Prediction: Ivashka in 4
Yesh: Paire is just in dreadful form right now. Maybe he flips things in front of the home crowd, but you can’t rely on that.
Prediction: Ivashka in 3
Jakub: Paire continues his three-year journey of struggle, entering Roland Garros with a 3-9 record on clay this season. Ivashka is far from a clay phenomenon but has gotten a couple of decent wins this season in Denis Shapovalov or Pedro Martinez. This match will depend entirely on how much effort Paire puts in here as beating Ivashka is well within his capabilities. The safer bet is that the Frenchman will just pick up the first-round prize money though.
Prediction: Ivashka in 4
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