French Open R2 previews and predictions: Ferrer vs. Monaco, Tomic vs. Coric

David Ferrer and Juan Monaco will contest what should be a classic clay-court battle at the French Open on Thursday. Bernard Tomic and Borna Coric are also aiming for a place in the last 32.

(11) David Ferrer vs. Juan Monaco

Ferrer and Monaco will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they collide in round two of the French Open on Thursday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at four wins apiece, including 2-2 on clay. They most recently faced each other last February on the red dirt of Rio de Janeiro, where Ferrer got the job done 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. That marks their only meeting since 2011 and their lone clay-court affair since 2009. Somewhat surprisingly, the two veterans have never battled at any Grand Slam.

To say this season has been a struggle for Ferrer would be an understatement. In fact, at all but one event (the Australian Open) the 34-year-old Spaniard has lost to either or a lower-ranked opponent or an opponent who had to be considered the odds-on underdog. Since a productive quarterfinal trip Down Under, Ferrer has reached only two semis and those resulted in losses to Nicolas Almagro (Buenos Aires) and Marin Cilic (Geneva). The 11th seed crushed Evgeny Donskoy 6-2, 6-0, 2-1 in his opener, while Monaco overcame Denis Istomin 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. Monaco is a decent 11-5 for the season and 10 of his victories have come on clay (his only hard-court win was by virtue of a retirement in Miami). This should be a traditional clay-court grind, with Ferrer having an edge given his past success at Roland Garros and Monaco’s lack of recent five-set battles.

Pick: Ferrer in 5

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(20) Bernard Tomic vs. Borna Coric

Tomic and Coric will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday at Roland Garros. Their only previous meeting came last season on the hard courts of Indian Wells, where Tomic prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in a match that was more competitive than the score suggests. Clay could be a different story, as Tomic had been 0-4 on the surface in 2016 prior to this fortnight. In fact, heading into the French Open, the 22nd-ranked Australian was on a five-match losing streak that included two retirements. He is a mere 3-6 lifetime at Roland Garros with no trips past the second round, but Tomic benefited from a rusty Brian Baker to score a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Tuesday.

Coric, on the other hand, owns seven clay-court wins this year–a number that includes a runner-up performance last month in Marrakech. The 47th-ranked Croat kicked off his French Open campaign in style on Tuesday, when he disposed of fellow teenager Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. In his only previous appearance at this tournament last spring, Coric advanced to the last 32 before succumbing to Jack Sock. He should be able to reach the same stage in 2016 at the expense of an opponent who positively despises the dirt.

Pick: Coric in 4

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