First-round action in Paris comes to a close on Tuesday with a jam-packed order of play that includes Novak Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz, and Joao Fonseca on the men’s side. Coco Gauff takes the court in the women’s draw.
Here are my picks for two of Tuesday’s best matchups at the French Open.
(30) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Joao Fonseca
Hurkacz heads into Roland Garros with some much-needed momentum on the heels of an injury-plagued year dating back to a Wimbledon knee injury. The Pole finally turned in some strong results in the form of a quarterfinal at the Madrid Masters and a runner-up at last week’s Geneva ATP 250. It could have been even better, however, since Hurkacz led Novak Djokovic by a break late in third set but could not seal the deal. He ended up losing to the 37-year-old Serb 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2).
It won’t be easy to recover from that result. Plus, Hurkacz has to face Fonseca–the most dangerous unseeded floater in the entire field. The 18-year-old Brazilian isn’t as on fire as he was at the end of 2024 and the start of 2024, but he is well rested and he loves clay. Expectations–at least for the time being–have simmered down a bit, so there isn’t as much pressure on him. I’ll back Fonseca to capitalize on a fatigued opponent.
Pick: Fonseca in 5
Alexandre Muller vs. (19) Jakub Mensik
This should be one of the best opening-round matches. Each man is in the midst of by far his best season on the tour–which is no surprise for Mensik given that he is only 19 years old. The Czech defeated Djokovic for a Masters 1000 title in Miami a couple of months ago and he made clay-court progress with a quarterfinal showing in Madrid and a fourth-round run in Rome.
Although Mensik clobbred Muller in their only previous meeting this past fall in Vienna, a move from an indoor hard court to clay will help the Frenchman. Home-court advantage obviously helps, as well. Muller was a finalist in Rio de Janeiro in February and he beat Alexander Zverev in Hamburg earlier this month. However, the veteran has never done anything at a major or even at a Masters 1000. On the big stage, Mensik should have a slight edge–even on clay in France.
Pick: Mensik in 5
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.