By Jake Davies
- Garbiñe Muguruza [3] vs Svetlana Kuznetsova
- Denis Shapovalov [24] vs John Millman
- Julia Goerges [11] vs Dominika Cibulkova
PARIS, FRANCE – Our three to see on Day 3 of Roland Garros includes a battle between two former champions in Paris as Garbiñe Muguruza aims to find some form against Svetlana Kuznetsova.
[table “ADPDAll” not found /]
Garbiñe Muguruza [3] vs Svetlana Kuznetsova H2H: Muguruza leads 5-1
In the pick of the first round matches No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in a battle of the former Roland-Garros winners. The Spaniard has had a rather rocky 2018 season. It feels like whenever she takes two steps forward she then experiences a bit of a setback and she has lost some very tight matches this year that could have gone either way. The beauty of the Spaniard’s game is that it is built for the big occasion and more often than not that results in big wins on the grandest of stages, but can she deliver a better level of tennis against one of the game’s great movers and great players on the dirt?
Kuznetsova has not had things easy either. Recently just coming back from a long term wrist injury and she often has expressed coming to terms with being absent from the tour for so long. She is still finding her feet and is hoping the results will follow and will hope that her tenacity from the back of the court and her ability to make her opponent hit the additional ball, will stand her in good stead against a ball-striker like Muguruza.
Muguruza has won five matches in a row against the Russian, including a win en route to her first Grand Slam title here in Roland-Garros in 2016.
Prediction: Muguruza in three sets.
READ MORE | Roland Garros 2018 | Latest Tennis Schedules & Draws
Tennis | Roland Garros 2020 | Latest Tennis Schedules & Draws
Denis Shapovalov [24] vs John Millman H2H: First meeting
Denis Shapovalov, US Open 2017
One of the many talking points during this year’s Roland-Garros is whether Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian wonder kid, can make a real impact on the red clay in Paris. This is the first year where we have seen him make a real improvement on this surface and he notes the time it gives him to unload on his forehand as the main reason why he has earned success this season. John Millman will make his first round match a real tough slog as the Australian is widely regarded as one of the better competitors on tour, who never really knows when he is beat and has unbelievable fight in him, even from losing positions.
The match is on Shapovalov’s racquet, but he has to be prepared to work for his points when a determined Millman is around.
Prediction: Shapovalov in four sets.
Julia Goerges [11] vs Dominika Cibulkova H2H: Cibulkova leads 1-0
The hard-hitting battle of the day sees the No.11 seed Julia Goerges come up against the pocket rocket Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova has perhaps had the better preparation coming into this one, with a final showing in Strasbourg, where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a dramatic final, while Goerges has not had the most ideal of red clay preparation after an amazing 2017 season for the German, perhaps her best on tour.
This will be a duel between two players aiming to do all their work on the forehand side. Goerges has perhaps one of the most devastating serve and forehand combination in women’s tennis, but the appealing thing about this battle is that Cibulkova knows how to get her forehand into the picture more often than not and that is down to her footwork around the ball.
This is only the second time these two players have met on tour and Cibulkova won that match in three sets in Wimbledon 2011.
Prediction: Goerges in three sets
[table “ADExpedia” not found /]
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |