By Tony Fairbairn
- Dan Evans [20] v Thanasi Kokkinakis [WC]
- H2H: Kokkinakis leads 1-0
PARIS, FRANCE – Dan Evans is looking to improve his record at Roland Garros as he looks for only his second win in Paris as he takes on Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening match.
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H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Dan Evans [20] v Thanasi Kokkinakis [WC] | H2H: Kokkinakis leads 1-0 |
| Roland Garros 2023 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €69,000 |
| Second on Court Seven (11:30 BST) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
Dan Evans is looking to claim his second career victory at Roland Garros when he takes on Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening match in Paris.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Dan Evans (WR 24) | Thanasi Kokkinakis (WR 107) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R2 (2022) | R3 (2015) |
| 1st Serve % | 62.1 | 64.7 |
| Service Games Won % | 76.4 | 89.6 |
| Break Points Saved % | 62.8 | 70.9 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 50.5 | 46.9 |
| Break Points Converted % | 35.7 | 36.8 |
Evans will look to maximise his returning quality against the powerful and accurate serving of Kokkinakis with the Australian posing consistent serving numbers throughout the season so far.
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Playing styles and prediction
After a good start to the season in Australia and on the challenger circuit, Kokkinakis has struggled for consistency as well as confidence which sees him outside the world’s top 100. Although clay isn’t his preferred surface, Kokkinakis will have time to pick where he hits his powerful forehand as a deep run in Paris could be the confidence boost the Australian needs heading into the grass court season.
Evans will look to use his slice and backhand to neutralise Kokkinakis’ power as well as continuing to produce consistent returns to test the Australian’s consistency. Meanwhile Kokkinakis will look to set the tempo of the match on the serve and construct powerful patterns of play to unsettle Evans. This will be a tough match for Evans but the Brit couldn’t have asked for a more favourable draw and the consistency of the 20th seed should prove too much for an out-of-sorts Kokkinakis.
Prediction: Evans in four sets.
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