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Three To See: French Open Day Six

Niall Clarke
Tennis

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By Niall Clarke

  • Three matches to look out for on Day Six of the French Open
  • Kyrgios vs Gasquet, Wawrinka vs Chardy, Safarova vs Stosur

PARIS, FRANCE- The focus is on Philippe Chatrier in our three to see for day six of the French Open where the third round matches kick off.

(9) Richard Gasquet vs (17) Nick Kyrgios

Scheduled: Third on Philippe Chatrier

Head to head: 4-2 Gasquet

This one may not only be a spectacle due to the tennis, but also the crowd. In many ways Kyrgios is the ‘bad boy’ of the ATP tour and up against a home hopeful Gasquet, things could get very interesting very fast. How will the French crowd react to any Kyrgios antics? How much will they get behind Gasquet?

That said it will also be an interesting on court contest. The Frenchman with his more conservative and simple style vs the flashiness of the Aussie will make for some interesting rallies. Gasquet leads the head to head 6-2, but Kyrgios loves the big occasion. Gasquet on the other hand has often struggled with the home crowd pressure.

This match can go either way. Kyrgios’ first serve will be key, but the room behind the baseline on Philippe Chatrier will favour Gasquet. If he can rally with the crowd, then Kyrgios could get frustrated and leak errors.

Prediction: Gasquet in 5

(3) Stan Wawrinka vs (30) Jeremy Chardy

Scheduled: Last on Philippe Chatrier

Head to head: 4-0 Wawrinka

A big hitting contest will conclude play on day six as defending champion Wawrinka plays France’s Chardy on Philippe Chartier.

Stan was the man here last year as he went on to lift the trophy, but his form so far in his defence has not quite hit those heights. The Swiss has struggled a bit and an on fire Chardy is certainly capable of throwing a curveball in the draw.

The Frenchman is one who does find inspiration from the crowd and he has the firepower to do a lot of damage. This match will be on Wawrinka’s racket as he is the more stable player who can reach a higher level, but no Wawrinka match is ever set in stone.

Prediction: Wawrinka in 4

(11) Lucie Safarova vs (21) Sam Stosur

Scheduled: Second on Philippe Chatrier

Head to head: 11-3 Safarova

Do not let the head to head fool you, this match could be one of the better contests of the day as two former finalists return to Philippe Chatrier court.

Stosur has shown some good form during the clay court season. Her heavy top spin translates well to these courts as does her kick serves. Safarova is finally returning to form after her injury woes. The Czech made the final here last year so knows how to perform at Roland Garros.

Safarova has a clear head to head advantage mainly due to her lefty forehand exposing the weaker side of Stosur. If the Aussie hits her backhand well then it could cause Safarova issues. That said the head to head is very hard to ignore, so the odds are with Safarova on this one.

Prediction: Safarova in 3

The French Open continues on Friday May 27th