Filip Krajinovic
The 27-year-old Serb enters the French Open with an improved ranking of 60. He has enjoyed a stellar 15-6 record so far, although most of these wins were at lower level events. Most of his success has typically come on the hardcourts, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fairs against Tiafoe here.
Frances Tiafoe
The next great hope in American tennis enters this 1st round clash as the #32 seed. He impressed many a tennis fan with his very solid Australian Open run, making the Quarters before losing to Nadal. His form has been relatively inconsistent since then, managing wins in just 12 of 23 contests this year.
Prediction: Tiafoe to win $2.55
Given that neither of these players are particularly adept on clay, I think Tiafoe should be favourite here. He is the more powerful and athletic player and I can see him wearing Krajinovic down. Especially at lucrative odds of $2.55, I’ll happily take Tiafoe as a heavy underdog.
Juan Martin del Potro
While it feels like he’s been around for ages, the Argentine veteran is just 30 years of age and enters this tournament as the #8 seed. He has barely played all year, with a Quarter-Final appearance in Rome his biggest of the season. While clay certainly isn’t his preferred surface, he made a very respectable Semi-Final appearance at Roland Garros last year.
Nicolas Jarry
The best Chilean hope since Fernando Gonzalez, the 6’6” giant enters this one with a world ranking of 75. He’s had a mixed bag in 2019, winning just 7 of his 17 ATP singles matches. Given his serve-oriented game, he hasn’t enjoyed all that much success at Roland Garros in the past.
Prediction: Over 34.5 games
While del Potro is the deserved favourite here, I can see him being somewhat rusty with very little game time under his belt. Even on clay, I don’t see too many breaks of serve in a match that should feature a tie-break or two. Assuming we get 4 or more sets, I very much like this play.
Taylor Fritz
The big-serving young American enters the French Open with a solid ranking of 46 overall. 2019 hasn’t been his best year on tour, winning just 9 of 21 ATP singles matches. Clay certainly isn’t his best surface either and he’s yet to win a singles match at Roland Garros in his entire career.
Bernard Tomic
Bernie has somehow managed to establish himself in the top 100 again, moving up to #82 in the world in the last update. This is despite a relatively lacklustre 1st half of 2019, winning just 3 of his 10 ATP singles matches. While clay definitely isn’t Bernie’s best surface either, he does at least have a few Roland Garros wins under his belt.
Prediction: Tomic +7.5
Both of these men rely heavily on their serve, which should be somewhat negated on clay. As such, I expect a relatively close affair with a ton of unforced errors involved. These two are more evenly matched than the line suggests and I’ll gladly ‘feel the Bern’ with a 7.5-game head start.
Another relatively simple plan of attack for today’s multi. I expect Tsonga to win comfortably in front of his home crowd, while Coric is as solid as they come on clay. Given his strong form this season, I also fancy Medvedev at $1.33, which helps push the odds on this to near even money.