Home
Niall Clarke

Three To See: French Open Day Two

Niall Clarke
Tennis

Embed from Getty Images

By Niall Clarke

  • Three matches to keep an eye on during day two of t the French Open
  • Wawrinka vs Rosol, Dimitrov vs Troicki, and Muguruza vs Schmiedova

PARIS, FRANCE- Day two of the French Open brings in defending champion Stan Wawrinka as a featured match in our three to see.

(3) Stan Wawrinka vs Lukas Rosol

Scheduled: First on Philippe Chatrier

Head to head: 4-0 Wawrinka

Wawrinka finally picked up some form in Geneva where he claimed the title last week, but the Swiss is always prone to an upset loss. It was only two years a go when Guillermo Garcia-Lopez overcame him in the opening round, can Lukas Rosol produce something similar?

The Czech brings a big game and has a famous upset of Rafael Nadal in his locker. Rosol also pushed Wawrinka to three sets in Geneva but the world number four prevailed.

If Rosol can bring his A game then this match will get very interesting very quickly. Both can strike the ball incredibly hard so expect huge winners from both sides of the court. The result will come down to which Wawrinka turns up on the day. If ‘Stanimal’ shows up then the Swiss will advance, but if he is off then there could be an upset on the cards.

Prediction: Wawrinka in 4

(22) Viktor Troicki vs Grigor Dimitrov

Scheduled: First on Court three

Head to head: 2-1 Dimitrov

Out of all the scheduled matches on day two, this one could end up being the closest. Dimitrov vs Troicki has the potential to go the distance and can go either way, that is why it is one to watch.

The pair of met three times previously with two of them coming early this year. The Bulgarian came through 5-7 7-6(6) 6-2 in Brisbane, but the Serb avenged that loss a week later in the final of Sydney 2-6 6-1 7-6(7).

Their previous meetings give evidence that this one will be close. The result will most likely come down to how Dimitrov will perform. The 25 year old has the higher ‘peak’ level so to speak, but Troicki is the more consistent player.

Prediction: Dimitrov in 5

(4) Garbine Muguruza vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova

Scheduled: First on Suzanne Lenglen

Head to head: 4-0

One of the favourites to go all the way, Muguruza will begin her French Open campaign against Schmiedlova on Suzanne Lenglen.

The Spaniard was originally meant to play on the Sunday but her match was postponed due to the heavy downpours in Paris. Muguruza holds a 4-0 head to head advantage over Schmiedlova who is in poor form this year, but one thing that the world number four is not known for is consistency.

When ‘on’, Muguruza is one of the best in the world. However when she is not firing then it can become quite the horror show. Schmiedlova on the other hand is quite a consistent baseliner and performs her best on the dirt.

This is likely to be a straight sets win for the fourth seed, but if she is misfiring then things will get interesting. Pressure can be a consuming thing, and Muguruza could crumble under the pressure of expectation on her shoulders.

Prediction: Muguruza in 2

It promises to be an action packed day two at Roland Garros (providing it does not rain). If the picks have taught us anything, be there early for the start of play because there’s three excellent matches to choose from.

The French open continues on at 11am (10am BST)