French Open R1 previews and predictions: Pouille vs. Medvedev, Donaldson vs. Jarry

Lucas Pouille has suffered a flurry of early exits this season and he has a tough Roland Garros opener on his hands against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. Meanwhile, an all-unseeded affair features Jared Donaldson and Nicolas Jarry.

(15) Lucas Pouille vs. Danill Medvedev

Heading into the Rome Masters, Pouille had either reached the final or lost his opening match at nine consecutive tournaments (three finals–and one title–plus six immediate losses). The hot-and-cold streak finally ended last week, when he edged Andreas Seppi in a third-set tiebreaker before falling to Kyle Edmund. Neither extreme has been the norm for Pouille at Roland Garros, where he has exited in the first round only twice in five appearances but has never advanced past the third round.

Up first for the 16th-ranked Frenchman on Sunday is a third career meeting with Medevedev, who trails the head-to-head series 2-0. Pouille prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Marseille in 2017 and 6-4, 6-2 last fall in Shanghai. Medevedev, though, is in the midst of his best season on tour. The 22-year-old Russian’s 13-9 record includes a title in Sydney and has him up to No. 53 in the world. With Pouille struggling and also enduring plenty of French pressure (especially given that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is out and Gael Monfils is not expected to be a factor), this is a good upset opportunity for Medevedev.

Pick: Medvedev in 4

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Nicolas Jarry vs. Jared Donaldson

Sunday marks a first-ever meeting between two players separated by just two spots in the rankings (Donaldson is No. 57; Jarry is No. 59) and one year in age (Donaldson is 21; Jarry is 22). Although Donaldson is slightly younger, he has been more of a mainstay on the main tour over the past few seasons. The American boasts 42 career ATP-level match victories, nine of which have come in 2018.

Jarry (21 career ATP wins) is catching up, with a 16-10 record that includes a breakout performance on the clay-court Golden Swing in South America. The Chilean advanced to the quarterfinals in Quito, the semis in Rio de Janeiro, and the final in Sao Paulo. He also reached the quarterfinals in Estoril and successfully qualified in Rome, where he outlasted Nicolas Kicker in a third-set tiebreaker and defeated Estoril champion Joao Sousa. Based on current form and especially on the surface, Jarry should have a slight edge in this one.

Pick: Jarry in 4

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