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, Shane Black, and Damian Kust.
French Open Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Varvara Gracheva
Jim:
Tomljanovic took advantage of Anett Kontaveit’s continuing inconsistency to upset the fifth seed in the first round. Her reward is a more winnable (at least on paper) clash with Gracheva. There isn’t a great deal in it, but Tomljanovic has more experience at the Majors and that could be a decisive in a match in which nerves may have a big role to play.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Jakub:
Tomljanovic pulled off a great upset over Anett Kontaveit in the first round, coming off as a pretty big surprise since the Australian has not had much success at Roland Garros since 2014. She should be a favorite in her next match as Gracheva did not show much in her 7-5 in the third win over Astra Sharma.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 2
Shane:
Ajla Tomljanovic picked up one of the early upsets of the tournament, taking out #5 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 7-5. She is 7-5 on the clay this season and is playing with a lot of confidence. 21-year-old Varvara Gracheva has not shown a lot of clay-court prowess during her early career and will struggle with the slow courts.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 2
Damian:
Varvara Gracheva owns two wins over Alja Tomljanovic, but they haven’t faced on a clay court yet. The Russian’s win over Astra Sharma was messy, while the Australian is coming off a great display against Anett Kontaveit. She’s also got a lot more potential and firepower.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Leylah Fernandez vs Katerina Siniakova
Jim:
Siniakova came into the French Open without much tennis behind her, but she certainly didn’t look rusty in dispatching Petra Martic in straight sets in the first round. Her willingness to take big cuts at the ball and come forward may cause real problems for Fernandez.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Jakub:
Fernandez looked pretty good in her first-round win over Kristina Mladenovic but will have a stronger opponent in Siniakova. There were some question marks surrounding the Czech’s fitness coming in but she put those to bed with a win over Petra Martic. Siniakova has reached the third round or better in her last four French Opens but I predict that streak will end here, though Fernandez will certainly not have it easy.
Prediction: Fernandez in 3
Shane:
Both Leylah Fernandez and Katerina Siniakova won their Round 1 matches in straight sets. Siniakova has a career-winning percentage of 56.7% on the clay whereas Fernandez has played in just 16 tour-level matches on the surface. I think Siniakova’s clay-court prowess and strong history at the French Open propels her in this one.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Damian:
Katerina Siniakova’s year has been filled with injuries and her match against Petra Martic was one of the best ones in a while. Leylah Fernandez is a different challenge though, and she should be able to drag her into rallies and lead them with the lefty forehand.
Prediction: Fernandez in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Daria Saville
Jim:
The French Open has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Kvitova, but she looked at home in Paris in beating Anna Bondar 7-6 6-1 in her opener this year. Saville, meanwhile, sprung a surprise by dismantling Valentina Grammatikopoulou for the loss of only three games. But she may find it harder to answer Kvitova’s power from the baseline.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Jakub:
After losing all three previous matches on clay this season, Kvitova looked surprisingly good in her straight sets win over Anna Bondar. The Czech has a couple of semifinals at Roland Garros but is never really seen as one of the favorites for the title. Saville has enjoyed a great renaissance this season with deep runs at Indian Wells and Miami but did not carry it over to clay. The Australian’s win over Grammatikopolou was her first clay win of the season.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Shane:
Daria Saville had not won a match since late March before her 6-1 6-2 Round 1 victory over Valentini Grammatikopoulou. Her Round 2 match will be a major jump in competition as she takes on #32 seed Petra Kvitova. Although Kvitova was 0-3 on the clay this season before her Round 1 win, she has reached two career semifinals at the French Open and should let her experience carry her.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Damian:
You never really know what to expect from Petra Kvitova these days, but her first-round was pretty great. Daria Saville is having a resurgence this year though and she’s excellent at keeping the ball in play. Her fitness will also give her an advantage here, perhaps granting her the chance to make a slight upset.
Prediction: Saville in 3
Sloane Stephens vs Sorana Cirstea
Jim:
Stephens snapped a streak of poor form to beat qualifier Jule Niemeier in three sets in the first round. Cirstea, however, has been in rather better form than the American and is probably more comfortable on the clay, even accounting for Stephens’ run to the final at this event in 2018. She may need to go the distance, but expect Cirstea to get the win.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Jakub:
Stephens broke her five-match losing streak and won her first match on clay this season against Julie Niemeier in the first round. Cirstea had a similar streak going in as she also struggled this clay season but stopped hers at four losses with a win over Tatjana Maria. This should be an interesting match without a clear favorite, I will go with Stephens here.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
Shane:
Both Sloane Stephens and Sorana Cirstea came into Roland Garros on lengthy match losing streaks but picked up Round 1 victories. With that said, Cirstea looked much more comfortable in her Round 1 match. The slow conditions play into the Romanians’ hands and will help power her to victory.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Damian:
Given Sloane Stephens’s recent form, her win over Jule Niemeier was a mild surprise. Can she repeat it against a more competent opponent? The Romanian would be a big favorite if not for her own lack of match practice (four losses on the spin before coming to Paris). As it stands here, it should be close.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
