The second round of the French Open begins on Day 4 in Paris. 32 women will try to advance to Friday’s third round. As always, we here at LWOT are going to share our thoughts on the matches for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this one, we have articles featuring Victoria Azarenka vs Andrea Petkovic, Sloane Stephens vs Sorana Cirstea, and Coco Gauff vs Alison Van Uytvanck. Predicting today’s matches are Jim Smith, Jakub Bobro, and Damian Kust.
French Open Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Dianne Parry vs Camila Osorio
Jim:
Parry was amongst several surprise winners in the first round as she ended Barbora Krejcikova’s title defence. But she may face tougher resistance up against Osorio. The Colombian has been in solid form in recent weeks and will surely be targeting a deep run in Paris. She has the talent to achieve that target.
Prediction: Osorio in 2
Jakub:
Parry was seriously struggling on clay this season coming into Roland Garros but will leave here with the best win of her career so far. The 19-year-old took out second seed and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, for whom it was the first match back after injury. Osorio Serrano took advantage of her nice first-round draw and beat struggling wildcard Harmony Tan in straight sets. This is a tight match-up for me but I will slightly lean on the side of Parry as her confidence should be very high and she also has the crowd advantage.
Prediction: Parry in 2
Damian:
Diane Parry scored the upset over an ailing Barbara Krejcikova, but she wasn’t playing that well for most of the match. She’s got potential, but it will take a while before it’s all polished. Camila Osorio is a hardcore clay specialist and should be able to have the upper hand in the rallies.
Prediction: Osorio in 2
Amanda Anisimova vs Donna Vekic
Jim:
How far can Anisimova go at this year’s French Open? If the draw works out in her favour, a return to the last four probably isn’t entirely out of the question for a player of her ability. But she may need to be at her best up against Vekic. The Croatian has struggled with fitness and form of late, but she remains a dangerous opponent at her best. Right now though, Anisimova looks a little more dangerous.
Prediction: Anisimova in 3
Jakub:
Anisimova came out of her blockbuster first round with Naomi Osaka relatively unscathed and continues to look like a great pick for a dark horse in this draw. Vekic can be a tricky qualifier if she plays like she did in her 2019 fourth-round run here though none of her four matches this week have been particularly impressive.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Damian:
Donna Vekic seems to be getting back to a very decent level and has already won four matches here, starting from the qualifying. Amanda Anisimova looks like a genuine title contender though and hasn’t lost before the quarterfinals this clay season yet. Her backhand down-the-line is firing.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Elsa Jacquemot vs Angelique Kerber
Jim:
Kerber is not the force she once was, but she remains a very determined competitor and she showed as much by battling past Magdalena Frech in three hard-fought sets in the first round. If she can ally that fighting spirit to her considerable court-craft once again, she should have too much for Jacquemot, notwithstanding the Frenchwoman’s fine victory over Heather Watson.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Jakub:
Kerber won her first clay title since Stuttgart 2016 in Strasbourg last week and won her first Roland Garros match since 2018. It was not easy for the German as Magdalena Frech had two match points in the third set. She gets a good draw though and will play Jacquemot in the second round, a young French wildcard who defeated Heather Watson in her opener.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Damian:
Angelique Kerber won Strasbourg last week, but was pushed very hard by Magdalena Fręch in her opener here. Feels like the reward is a favorable matchup against the 19-year-old wild card Elsa Jacquemot, who’s got talent but might not have enough experience to outsmart such a crafty veteran like Kerber.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Victoria Azarenka vs Andrea Petkovic
Jim:
Azarenka did not having things all her own way in the first round against Ana Bogdan, but found her best tennis when it mattered most to advance a 7-6 6-7 6-2 winner. Petkovic, meanwhile, rolled back the years to dismiss a below-par Oceane Dodin 6-2 6-4. But it is hard to see her outlasting Azarenka in a baseline battle.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Jakub:
Azarenka endured a surprisingly tough opener against Ana Bogdan with the Romanian pushing her especially in the first two sets. Petkovic is one of the easier second-round opponents at this point in her career though she is a former semifinalist at Roland Garros. It’s always nice to see this sort of a throwback between two veteran players but I do not think there will be much jeopardy here.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Damian:
Victoria Azarenka struggled against Ana Bogdan in Round 1, but it was a very high-quality encounter. The Belarusian’s tennis is a lot more reminiscent of her prime these days than Andrea Petkovic’s is. The return game can be brutal on clay, even though it was never her favorite surface.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
