The French Open tennis tournament completes what is left of the first round and that’s where we’ll pick up our tennis picks. So far, there have been plenty of stunning moments at Roland Garros.
It’s important to remember that Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are not participating at the French Open. Many people felt that that would open the door for current world No. 1 Angelique Kerber to make a run. However, Kerber didn’t even get out of the first round. She became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the opening round. We also saw Jelena Jankovic – a former French Open finalists – lose as well as Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2015 French Open.
The first round will run its course over three days due to the fact that the French Open starts its tournament on Sunday, enabling the first round to conclude on Tuesday with a three-day schedule. The first match at a Grand Slam tournament is always accompanied by some nerves. The stage is big, the stakes are important, and in most (but not all) cases, the top players haven’t played tennis for eight or nine days if not more. Here is a look at our tennis picks for Tuesday.
Jana Cepelova vs. Simona Halep
Two years ago in the first week of Wimbledon, Cepelova stunned Halep, who was one of the top four seeds and stood a very good chance of being able to go deep into the tournament. Halep looked rattled in the face of Cepelova’s hitting. It’s definitely a memory Halep will bring to the court in this match in Paris. Clay is not the same as grass, however, and Halep – though affected by an ankle injury – has been very strong on clay this spring, in Madrid and Rome. She won Madrid and made the final in Italy. Her injury might mean that she won’t go all the way and win the tournament, but there is a lot that’s emotionally invested in this match for Halep. She won’t cruise through the match because of her limitations, but she will find a way to get the job done. Take Halep with your tennis picks.
Pick: Halep in three sets
Nao Hibino vs. Caroline Garcia
This is a matchup of a relatively average Japanese challenger, Hibino, versus a player who has more natural talent but is prone to play very nervous tennis before a home crowd. Garcia is a French player who was famously referred to by men’s World No. 1 Andy Murray as “a future World No. 1.” People in and around tennis thought she had that much talent. She can play very cleanly and fluidly at times, but that level of form very rarely lasts for long. Garcia is a shaky player who has never dealt with the bigger mental challenges of tennis. Hibino could win this match if Garcia is all over the place, but Garcia has a lot more talent. Ultimately, that amount of talent is too great to resist… and Hibino doesn’t inspire enough confidence. Go with Garcia for your tennis picks.
Pick: Garcia in three sets
Fiona Ferro vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
This is a match which will go unnoticed by many, but it figures to be a good chance to make a correct bet. It’s true that Radwanska has dropped off the radar since the 2016 Australian Open semifinals. She hasn’t made much noise on tour since then. She gets overpowered by a lot of players and has therefore not been able to beat the elites very often. She hasn’t made deep runs at a lot of big tournaments. No one is predicting that she’ll go deep in Paris, even though Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are not in the field. Nevertheless, Ferro is not a big hitter or a player who is likely to threaten Radwanska and disrupt her from doing the kinds of things she wants to do. Radwanska seems like a relatively safe pick here – her chances of winning the tournament aren’t great, but her chances of winning this match are very high.
Pick: Radwanska in straight sets
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