{"id":84116,"date":"2025-05-25T15:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T19:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=84116"},"modified":"2025-05-25T15:18:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T19:18:12","slug":"french-open-day-2-womens-predictions-rybakina-riera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/05\/25\/french-open-day-2-womens-predictions-rybakina-riera\/","title":{"rendered":"French Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions Including Elena Rybakina vs Julia Riera"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first round of the women’s singles continues on Day 2 of the 2025 French Open. 25 matches are scheduled, and our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on all of the matches with you. We split the matches between seven articles. Our other articles feature Emma Raducanu vs Xinyu Wang<\/a>, Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa<\/a>, Danielle Collins vs Jodie Burrage<\/a>, Madison Keys vs Daria Saville<\/a>, Veronika Kudermetova vs Viktoria Tomova<\/a>, and Iga Swiatek vs Rebecca Sramkova<\/a>. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Manuel Traquete, and Andreas Pelekis. Who do you think will move on?<\/p>\n

French Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions<\/h2>\n

Jaqueline Cristian vs Kimberly Birrell<\/h4>\n

Jordan:<\/em>
\nCristian lost to Maya Joint in the Morocco Open final on Saturday. Birrell will try to take advantage of any physical or mental hangover from that loss. However, Cristian is a better clay-court player, and the level she showed in Morocco would be good enough to win this match.
\nPrediction: Cristian in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Nurein:<\/em>
\nDespite being lower ranked, Cristian is the better player of the two on clay, as shown by her run to the final last week in Rabat. In these conditions, she should have the edge over Birrell.
\nPrediction: Cristian in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nCristian lost in the final of the WTA 250 Rabat event just two days ago, and it\u2019ll be a tough turnaround to play Birrell, an all-court player looking for her first French Open<\/a> win. The Romanian is arguably more aggressive from the baseline and will have to limit her unforced errors. Expect a close three-setter, with Birrell having some confidence in this matchup as she won the pair\u2019s only meeting in 2024.
\nPrediction: Cristian in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Polina Kudermetova vs Jelena Ostapenko<\/h4>\n

Jordan:<\/em>
\nPredicting Ostapenko\u2019s matches is never easy. The 2017 champion at Roland Garros could challenge for the title again if she finds her best tennis, but the Latvian losing in the early rounds after an error-strewn performance is also a possibility. I\u2019m backing her to produce more good than bad to overcome Kudermetova.
\nPrediction: Ostapenko in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Nurein:<\/em>
\nOstapenko is a former champion at this event and always a menace when she plays her best tennis. As inconsistent as her level might be, she shouldn’t struggle too much in this first round.
\nPrediction: Ostapenko in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s always interesting to see how Ostapenko plays at the French Open–a tournament she won in 2017<\/a>–and she\u2019s performed better on clay this year compared to past seasons. She dominated Top 10 foes en route to a WTA 500 title in Stuttgart, and has lost to strong players in the tournaments she\u2019s played. Kudermetova is steadily rising the ranks, but has only two Top 20 wins to her name, and might not be able to rise to the occasion.
\nPrediction: Ostapenko in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>