The French Open now concludes the first round. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have moved on to round two, and now it’s time for other players in the field to get their shot.
While the women’s side has been unpredictable – as usual – the men’s side has mostly been by the book so far. We saw a full slate of matches on Monday but nothing really happened that came out of left field. No. 32 Mischa Zverev – who upset Andy Murray at the Australian Open – lost in the first round but he’s been so-so this year. We did see a notable upset with No. 31 seed Gilles Simon, who lost in four sets. No. 14 seed Jack Sock also was ushered out of the tournament as he lost in straight sets to Jiri Vesely. Other than that, all of the other seeded players advanced on Monday, which is good news for bettors and fans.
Looking ahead to Tuesday, this Grand Slam clay-court tournament features players in all sorts of situations. This next set of three matches represents a good “sampler platter” of diverse circumstances in Paris at Stade Roland Garros. Here our picks for the day on the men’s side for Tuesday.
Kyle Edmund vs. Gastao Elias
There is no doubt that while this match does not feature a championship contender, one player stands above the other in terms of overall capability and court presence. In Monte Carlo, only one player took a set off Rafael Nadal, the man who eventually won the tournament a month ago. Edmund was that man. He bothered Nadal and had a legitimate chance to win midway through the third set. He didn’t quite make it, but he scared the best clay player who has ever lived. The memory of that match is hard to ignore heading into this battle. Elias is no slouch as a clay player. He could certainly pull the upset here. However, Edmund’s very heavy and powerful forehand is likely to hit through the court and put Elias off balance enough to decide the match. This won’t be an easy our routine match, but Edmund should eventually be able to figure it out. Take Edmund with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Edmund in four sets
Dustin Brown vs. Gael Monfils
This should be a very entertaining match. Both Brown and Monfils are known for jumping and leaping across the court. They will dive for shots, giving up their bodies to make the attractive and dynamic play, even though it might not be the smart play. These two players have reckless playing styles which have contributed to long lists of injuries over the years. They just don’t know when to restrain themselves and be more cautious. Brown, though, is a grass-court player with a serve and volley game. He loves to rush the net and win points very quickly. Monfils is different in that he is willing to engage in a 40-shot rally and hustle along the back of the court to retrieve shots. Monfils isn’t always able to hit the smartest shot, but he doesn’t mind running around the court. Brown wants to play in a very different way.
Monfils’ best major tournament is the French Open, where he made the 2008 French Open. This is his place, in front of his fans, and it generally takes a better player to beat him in Paris. Brown is dangerous on grass, but not clay. Take Monfils with your tennis picks here.
Pick: Monfils in four sets
John Isner vs. Jordan Thompson
This is a matchup in which the two competitors had met in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in April, and Australia beat the United States. Jordan Thompson had a memorable day, while John Isner wanted to forget the experience. Isner is out for revenge here, and on clay, his kick serve will bounce high enough that Thompson will have trouble returning the Isner serve for winners. The matchup lends itself to Isner’s strengths. The fact that Isner made the Rome semifinals should make him even more of a favorite here.
Pick: Isner in straight sets
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