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Roland Garros 2017 Day 2 – Muguruza leads our Three-to-See

Jake Davies
Tennis

 

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By Jake Davies

  • Garbiñe Muguruza [4] vs Francesca Schiavone
  • Alexander Zverev [9] vs Fernando Verdasco
  • Kiki Bertens [18] vs Ajla Tomljanovic
PARIS, FRANCE – Ladies champion Garbiñe Muguruza opens up play on Chatrier and leads our pick of the three matches to see on Day Two of Roland Garros.

 

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Garbiñe Muguruza [4] vs Francesca Schiavone H2H: Muguruza leads 2-1

In a battle between two of the game’s great clay courters, 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone meets the reigning Roland Garros singles winner Garbiñe Muguruza in an appetising first round encounter.

Schiavone, renowned for her unbelievable all-court game and admirable court-coverage from the baseline, will be playing her last ever Roland Garros as she plans to retire at the end of the 2017 season.

The question will be whether Muguruza can overwhelm Schiavone with her power game on a consistent basis. Consistency has been the issue for the Spaniard throughout her development, but what we do know is that when she catches fire she is a tough opponent to get the better of.

Prediction: Muguruza in three sets.

 

Alexander Zverev [9] vs Fernando Verdasco H2H: Tied at 1-1

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Many consider Alexander Zverev as the star of tomorrow, but his results inside the last twelve months suggest that he is not only a star of the future but also one of the better players on the ATP tour right now. The 20-year-old claimed his first Masters 1000 title win in Rome at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last week and has ironed out some of the weaknesses in his game, becoming a well-rounded player in doing so.

Zverev plays the dangerous Fernando Verdasco in the first round. These two met in the Madrid Masters last month, in which Zverev looked the much better and consistent player of the two. Verdasco has his great moments, but sustaining the heavy, consistent ball-striking over a Best of 5 match could prove difficult for the former Australian Open semi-finalist.

Prediction: Zverev in four sets.

 

Kiki Bertens [18] vs Ajla Tomljanovic H2H: First meeting

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Twelve months ago, Kiki Bertens rallied into her first Grand Slam singles semi-final at last year’s Roland Garros and now comes into this tournament with a title win under her belt and a great amount of confidence about the status of her game. The No.18 seed is fresh from defending her Nuremburg title last week and also performed well in Rome, where she made the semi-finals, losing to Simona Halep.

Ajla Tomljanovic will feel grateful that she is back healthy and playing competitive tennis once again after spending most of the 2016 season inactive with a shoulder injury. The Croatian-turned-Australian has had some positive results at the French Open as she beat the No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the Round of 16 in 2014.

The Dutch No.1 Bertens can be hard to contain when she is feeling good about her tennis and with most of her ranking points defended from last year’s Roland Garros, she can play with much more freedom and conviction.

Prediction: Bertens in two sets

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