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French Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions Including Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego

Lorenzo Sonego French Open

Sunday at the French Open is opening the show with some exciting match-ups, including a French derby and Ben Shelton’s debut. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will be victorious on Day 1?

French Open Day 1 Predictions

Karen Khachanov vs Constant Lestienne

Jakub Bobro: Lestienne has not managed to finish his last two matches coming into Roland Garros. His fitness is questionable at best so don’t expect any issues here for Khachanov.

Prediction: Khachanov in 2

Damian Kust: Constant Lestienne had to retire from three of his last five matches and hasn’t won since February. The Frenchman has been battling physical issues all year and we’ll see how fit he even is when Sunday comes. Karen Khachanov should be very safely through to the second round here.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Jim Smith: Thanks to his power and athleticism Karen Khachanov’s game is well-suited to the clay. The Russian has had a slightly up-and-down season, but with the added security of best-of-five sets, it would be a real surprise to see him beaten here.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3

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Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Dan Evans

Jakub: Expect this one to go the distance. Evans is quite inconsistent on clay with high highs and low lows and the slower surface will give Kokkinakis more time to set up forehands into Evans’ one-hander. The two had a great battle at the Nottingham Challenger in 2021 with Evans winning in the deciding set tiebreaker and I could see Kokkinakis returning the favor here.

Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5

Damian: A couple of underrated clay-courters here. Dan Evans is a fierce competitor who manages to showcase his other assets despite his slice sitting up on the dirt, while the spin on Thanasi Kokkinakis’s forehand cooperates with the surface well. Maybe a slight nod to the Aussie with how good his mix of placement and power can be on that wing?
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Jim: This could go either way. Thanasi Kokkinakis is probably better suited to clay-court tennis, but injuries prevented the Australian from accomplishing what he might have and Dan Evans is a canny operator. That said, he hasn’t won a match since reaching the semifinals in Barcelona in April.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Jim: Ben Shelton has demonstrated an impressive aptitude for the clay, at least for a player who was not raised on the surface. But he has lost his last two matches and this is not a particularly kind draw for the American. Lorenzo Sonego has not been in particularly good form himself of late, but he played well enough in Rome to suggest that he could get the better of Shelton here.
Prediction: Sonego in 5
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Jakub Bobro

Jakub Bobro

Jakub is a Multimedia Journalism student at the Glasgow Caledonian University, originally from Bratislava, Slovakia. He has previously been published by Ubitennis, VAVEL, and TakUrčitee, writing about tennis, football, and ice hockey.

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