There should be no shortage of entertainment for the fans at the French Open on day two with 24 matches on the schedule. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Atilla Balazs vs Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka vs Corentin Moutet, Jordan Thompson vs Rafael Nadal, Dan Evans vs Francisco Cerundolo and Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka. But who will book their place in the second round?
French Open Day 2 Predictions
Dusan Lajovic vs Sebastian Baez
Damian: Sebastian Baez could be one of the players to watch in Paris, especially if he ends up taking on Alexander Zverev in round two. But first, he’ll need to worry about this match, which is potentially tricky if Dusan Lajovic can bring his best level to the party. He’s just rarely been able to do that of late.
Prediction: Baez in 4
Yesh: Baez is a young rising star who can’t yet keep his form every match. Lajovic is a veteran who is finding some of the most solid form of his career. Baez will do better for bursts, but long-term Lajovic should follow through.
Prediction: Lajovic in 5
Jakub: Lajovic does have a positive 7-6 record on European clay this season but all his impressive wins came in Madrid so hopes should not be particularly high for the 31-year-old. Baez won his first ATP title in Estoril and reached a final in Santiago. According to Elo ratings, the young Argentine has been the eighth best player on clay over the past 12 months, so Lajovic should not be too much of a problem.
Prediction: Baez in 3
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Alex Molcan vs Federico Coria
Damian: A finalist at two ATP 250 clay events this year already, Alex Molcan is playing extremely well right now. His run at Lyon last week might end up bringing some accumulated fatigue later in the event, but here it should still do him more good than harm. Federico Coria defeated him twice last year, but it feels like the Slovakian has been constantly making progress since then.
Prediction: Molcan in 4
Yesh: Molcan has improved rapidly this year, and his new coach is clearly helping. Coria is more talented on clay, but Molcan is playing better right now.
Prediction: Molcan in 4
Jakub: Molcan is coming in after reaching his second ATP final of the year in Lyon, a run during which he defeated Coria 6-3 6-2. The Slovak, coached by Marian Vajda, has suffered a couple of bad clay losses this season though, losing to Giulio Zeppieri and Roberto Carballes Baena. Coria has had a decent clay season on the main tour with a 7-6 record on European clay. I see this match going similarly to their meeting last week, Molcan should be a class above at this point in his career.
Prediction: Molcan in 4
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Marton Fucsovics vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux
Damian: A junior champion six years ago, Geoffrey Blancaneaux is just now making his debut in the main draw at Paris. Against a rather out-of-form Marton Fucsovics, he should have a very decent chance to win. The Frenchman clearly likes the big stage and shouldn’t have that much pressure on his shoulders, allowing him to play with confidence and aggression.
Prediction: Blancaneaux in 5
Yesh: Fucsovics is a solid but not spectacular player. That’s exactly the type of player that a young wild card never wants to meet.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 4
Jakub: Fucsovics had a mediocre 5-4 clay season without any surprising wins but suffering a bad loss to Maxime Cressy. There could be some question marks about Hungarian’ fitness as he retired from his last match in Rome. Blancaneaux had an okay clay Challenger season with a semifinal run but lacking any impressive wins. The Frenchman managed to take advantage of landing in a weaker section in qualifying and finally reach the Roland Garros main draw at the sixth time of asking. Fucsovics should be winning this match if he is fit and will be desperate to get as many points as he can before Wimbledon.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 4
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Sebastian Korda vs John Millman
Damian: Sebastian Korda has been very uneven in recent times, but this feels like a favorable draw. John Millman just doesn’t play that well on clay and isn’t as much of a frustrating grinder for his opponents on this surface, mostly due to the quality of the movement and the fact it’s tougher to take balls early.
Prediction: Korda in 4
Yesh: This should be fun. Korda hasn’t been playing nearly his best all year, but he tends to find his best at Slams. That will matter, and it could be decisive in this match.
Prediction: Korda in 5
Jakub: Korda looked good in his Estoril semifinal run, where he allowed Felix Auger-Aliassime only four games in the quarterfinal, but we did not see much more from the 20-year-old on clay. Though he looked bad in his last year’s first round loss to Pedro Martinez, Roland Garros is where he broke out in 2020, reaching the third round as a qualifier. The American gets a nice draw in Millman though as the Australian has a 1-7 record at Roland Garros, with his only win coming in the first round of 2010 qualifying. Korda should be a pretty strong favorite here.
Prediction: Korda in 3
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