{"id":84075,"date":"2025-05-24T19:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T23:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=84075"},"modified":"2025-05-24T20:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T00:22:11","slug":"french-open-mens-day-1-predictions-shelton-sonego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/05\/24\/french-open-mens-day-1-predictions-shelton-sonego\/","title":{"rendered":"French Open Men’s Day 1 Predictions Including Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second slam of the year is upon us as the 2025 French Open gets started on Sunday with 20 men\u2019s main draw singles matches.<\/em> This set of predictions is paced by Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego. Our other prediction articles feature Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann<\/a>, Tommy Paul vs Elmer Moller<\/a>, Tomas Machac vs Quentin Halys<\/a>, and Frances Tiafoe vs Roman Safiullin<\/a>. Predicting this set of matches is Ilemona Onekutu, Damian Kust, and Tope Oke. Who will advance to round two?<\/p>\n

French Open Day 1 Predictions<\/h2>\n

Brandon Nakashima vs Mariano Navone<\/h4>\n

Ilemona<\/em>
\nBrandon Nakashima\u2019s solid clay results make him the favorite against Mariano Navone, who\u2019s been inconsistent lately. Nakashima should come through in four tight sets.
\nPrediction: Nakashima in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Damian<\/em>
\nNavone’s ranking seems a little deceiving. Yes, he hasn’t quite produced the same kind of results as last year. But his quality hasn’t gone down by that much, and he’s just a dangerous floater now. It wouldn’t be shocking if he managed to take down Nakashima here, and he’s probably somewhat close to a 50\/50 chance here.
\nPrediction: Navone in 5<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope<\/em>
\nMariano Navone entered last year\u2019s French Open as a seeded debutant, reflecting his rapid rise due to his scintillating performances during the clay swing. The Argentine is now struggling to remain in the top No. 100 after being challenged by the second-season syndrome, as performances try to catch up with expectations. His opponent, Brandon Nakashima, doesn\u2019t have any remarkable pedigree on clay but has crossed the first-round hurdle in his two appearances here, and on current form, it won\u2019t be surprising if he makes it three.
\nPrediction: Nakashima in 5<\/em><\/p>\n

Nuno Borges vs Kyrian Jacquet<\/h4>\n

Ilemona<\/em>
\nNuno Borges brings Grand Slam experience and a solid clay-court game into his first-round match against French wildcard Kyrian Jacquet. While Jacquet has momentum from recent Challenger titles and home support, Borges\u2019 higher ranking and tour-level consistency make him the favorite to advance.
\nPrediction: Borges in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Damian<\/em>
\nJacquet gets back on track after a brilliant 13-1 start to the season, which wasn’t really followed up. He plays counter-punching tennis with a lot of craft and variety, which could be an issue for an aggressive player like Borges. But just from the eye test, it seems like the power of the Portuguese might be a little too much in the long run.
\nPrediction: Borges in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope<\/em>
\nTop ranked Portuguese player Nuno Borges boasts an impressive 11-2 record on opening round matches this season; however, the two losses have come against players ranked outside the top #100 so he will be wary of the big-serving Jacquet who has already won two Challenger titles this year and seemed to have regained his early season form in the qualifiers. Won\u2019t be surprised if the Frenchman wins a set, but in a best-of-five games, Borges will be the last man standing.
\nPrediction: Borges in 5<\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>