The second Grand Slam of the season is upon us. Despite the absences of Serena Williams and Roger Federer, we should be in for an exciting fortnight.<\/p>\n
Sure, exciting is a vague adjective. Certain people relish watching 50-shot rallies down the middle between Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon. Others prefer witnessing a slugfest between John Isner and Reilly Opelka.<\/p>\n
For the record, I would not sign up for any of the aforementioned ordeals.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of dull, unappetizing matchups in the first round of the Roland Garros men\u2019s singles draw. Fortunately, the following duels have the potential to be incredibly entertaining for one reason or another.<\/p>\n
Again, I will not necessarily be considering the quality of play, but the ability of the players to own tennis Twitter. Buckle up!<\/p>\n
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs (8) Kei Nishikori<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m no betting market expert, but I guarantee some evil bookie has an over\/under on broken bones in this match. What if both players break down exactly during the same point? Who gets the 45 ATP points? Kokkinakis can\u2019t stay healthy for over a minute but Nishikori doesn\u2019t lag too far behind. In spite of his inability to remain unscathed, the Japanese took the atrocious decision of playing an ATP 250 tournament the week before a Slam. What could possibly go wrong? Anyway, I hope I\u2019m mistaken and these guys deliver a masterpiece.<\/p>\n Watchability Index: 5\/10<\/em><\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe vs (28) Fabio Fognini<\/strong><\/p>\n The young American should be easy prey for the in-form Fognini at the Bois de Boulogne. However, that prediction doesn\u2019t account for the plot twist. The Italian will cruise to a two-set lead, so the 19-year-old will head to a bathroom break. \u201cIt can\u2019t be that good,\u201d<\/a> Tiafoe screams from the locker room. All of the sudden, the momentum somehow changes and Fognini squanders another opportunity to do damage at a Slam.<\/p>\n Watchability Index: 6\/10<\/em><\/p>\n Kevin Anderson vs Malek Jaziri<\/strong><\/p>\n North Africa vs South Africa. Stark contract of playing style. Current No. 62 vs No. 70. The previous match ended in a third set tiebreaker<\/a>. #Popcorn<\/p>\n Watchability Index: 5\/10<\/em><\/p>\n Ernests Gulbis vs (7) Marin Cilic<\/strong><\/p>\n In this bout between two wildly inconsistent talents of the 1988 generation, nothing is guaranteed. If the No. 225 Gulbis\u00a0 pulls it off, would that be considered an upset? Cilic\u2019s 2005 boys French Open title<\/a> aside, the Latvian has obtained the better career results on clay, highlighted by the 2014 semifinal run at Roland Garros. The Croatian recently won the Istanbul trophy, but lost in the opener last year against Argentinian journeyman Marco Trungelliti. Gulbis defends a round of 16 in Paris, but he has only won one ATP match this year. For what it\u2019s worth, they have split<\/a> their two tour-level meetings on the red dirt.<\/p>\n Watchability Index: 7\/10<\/em><\/p>\n Taro Daniel vs Jerzy Janowicz<\/strong><\/p>\nOverhyped, it can\u2019t be that good<\/h2>\n
Battle for African GOAT<\/h2>\n
Expect the unexpected<\/h2>\n
Broken rackets galore<\/h2>\n