The French Open men’s tournament lurches ahead with second-round action in Paris and so do our tennis picks. We had a very good day with our tennis picks on Tuesday as we cashed all three on the men’s side. Our biggest sweat came courtesy of Gilles Simon, who surprisingly needed five sets to get past Guido Pella. Pella actually won the first two sets before Simon roared all the way back. We also had Richard Gasquet in our selections and he made things much easier for us. He won in straight sets over Bjorn Fratangelo. Lastly, we also had Milos Raonic to advance and the Canadian did exactly that. He didn’t break much of a sweat against Adam Mannarino as Mannarino only won a total of eight games.
The Thursday card has some very appealing matchups for longtime tennis fans who love contests between veterans they’ve come to know over the past decade. Betting, though, can’t be loaded down with such sentimentality. What are the good plays here?
Marcos Baghdatis vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
This is a matchup, believe it or not, between players who have played in Grand Slam finals. Remember when Marcos Baghdatis played in the 2006 Australian Open final against Roger Federer? Remember when Tsonga played in the 2008 Australian Open final against Novak Djokovic? These players have played in other Grand Slam semifinals, Baghdatis at Wimbledon and Tsonga at the French Open and Wimbledon. Tsonga, in fact, made the semifinals of the French Open last year. He’s made multiple semifinals in Paris. That last detail suggests that Tsonga is more comfortable at the French Open than at other Grand Slam tournaments. He did not look great in the first round, but he did what he had to do without getting extended too much. Tsonga is the better player with the bigger shots and the more overpowering serve. He should be able to work his way past Baghdatis, but don’t expect a straight-set match. Tsonga is the better choice for your tennis picks here.
Pick: Tsonga in four sets
David Ferrer vs. Juan Monaco
This should be a long and close match. Monaco is 32 years old, and he’s the younger player in this match. Ferrer and Monaco have both been solid and active defensive players who cover the court expertly and make opponents hit extra shots. Now that they’re getting older, though, their strengths are no longer as strong as they used to be. This is why both careers have lost steam. Ferrer has gone through a very difficult year. He was a regular quarterfinalist at Grand Slam events just a few years ago. He sometimes made semifinals, and he reached the Roland Garros final in 2013 before losing to Rafael Nadal. However, those days are gone. Ferrer did cruise in the first round, but he played a weak opponent, Evgeny Donskoy. Monaco got rid of Denis Istomin, a much more talented and dangerous opponent, in four sets. Maybe Ferrer will be fresher because of his easy match. Maybe Monaco will be sharper because of his competition in the first round. Ultimately, when going up against another relatively old opponent, Ferrer probably won’t be punished as much for losing a small measure of footspeed. Monaco is not an easy opponent, but not the worst opponent he could have, either. Take Ferrer with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Ferrer in five sets
Nicolas Mahut vs. Marcel Granollers
This is a matchup in which Granollers should be able to win. Granollers made the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, the first 1,000-point clay tournament of the season. That’s a big result, and it’s something Mahut can’t hope to match. Mahut is a doubles stalwart and a grass specialist, with some competence on hardcourts. Clay is not Mahut’s element, and Granollers is right at home. The obvious logic points to a Granollers win, even though he might have a hiccup in one set. Take Granollers with your tennis picks in this match.
Pick: Granollers in four sets
