It promises to be an entertaining first day at the French Open with 20 matches on the schedule. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Marie Bouzkova vs Veronika Kudermetova, Tatjana Maria vs Clara Tauson, Lesia Tsurenko vs Donna Vekic, and Lucia Bronzetti vs Naomi Osaka. But who will reach the second round?
French Open Day 1 Predictions
Eva Lys vs Caroline Garcia
Ateet: Caroline Garcia hasn’t had the best of years so far with a 14-12 win-loss record. She has only managed to win three matches in the last three editions of her home slam. Eva Lys played quite well to come through the qualifying but she doesn’t pose any threat to Garcia.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Jordan: Garcia does have a history of being upset at her home Grand Slam. At her best, the Frenchwoman’s extremely powerful game will overwhelm the qualifier Lys. Although her opponent did well to qualify, Garcia should still have enough firepower to progress even if she is not at her best.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Glenys: Neither have met on tour before, but Lys has come through qualifying to be here. The German lost only one set to get here. Garcia has had an indifferent clay season so far and qualifiers are known to spring a surprise or two.
Prediction: Garcia in 3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Jaqueline Cristian
Ateet: Jelena Ostapenko made a great start to the year. She would hope to make a deep run here but finds a tricky opponent in Jaqueline Cristian, who has defeated her before and has played well this year, especially on clay. This is the first main draw match at the French Open for the Romanian.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Jordan: The former champion in Paris Ostapenko needs to be on her game here. Cristian is a very capable clay-court player, beating Emma Navarro in Charleston and taking Danielle Collins and Coco Gauff to three sets so far in 2024. There will be much powerful hitting in this contest, but the more experienced Ostapenko is still a slight favourite.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Glenys: Cristian and Ostapenko have met once before on tour back in 2021 in St Petersburg. The Romanian took that in straight sets, and Ostapenko was seeded there as she is here. The Latvian will need to battle hard here to get the win
Prediction: Cristian in 2
Barbora Krejcikova vs Viktoria Golubic
Ateet: Barbora Krejcikova is having her worst year on tour in some time. She hasn’t won back to back matches since reaching the quarterfinals of Australian Open. She finds a familiar opponent in Viktorija Golubic who hasn’t played much tennis this year.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Jordan: 2021 champion Krejcikova recently came back from a couple of months out with an injury and looked understandably rusty. Golubic will sense an opportunity to cause an upset. However, her playing style is not the best suited to disrupting the Czech’s very complete game. Krejcikova may not be at her best here but she should still have enough to progress.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
Glenys: Having met five times on tour, and with Krejcikova leading the head to head slightly, this will be a great match for a neutral. Golubic did not qualify for the Italian Open and spends most of her days on the lower tiers now. However, this will not be a straight forward match for the Czech.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Laura Siegemund vs Sofia Kenin
Ateet: Sofia Kenin has won both the matches these two have played but it was almost 5 years ago and Kenin is nowhere near that level currently. Siegemund has played some decent tennis this year and looks motivated. This should be a close one.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
Jordan: Kenin broke a very long losing streak with two wins in Rome, including a triumph against Ons Jabeur. Unfortunately, she has lost two more matches in a row since then. Kenin has particularly struggled this year against players who make a lot of extra balls, which is what Siegemund’s game on clay is based on. This might be another tough day for the American.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
Glenys: Kenin leads the head to head between these two. Siegemund has yet to win a set from the American and it is unlikely to change here. Kenin has the number of Siegemund, and the German will struggle to get much from this match.
Prediction: Kenin in 2
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
