Novak Djokovic has displayed some encouraging signs through two rounds of the French Open and he will be back on the court for a Friday showdown against Roberto Bautista Agut. Lucas Pouille and Karen Khachanov are also in action.
(13) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (20) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic finally heated up just in time for the French Open, and the confidence he gained at the Rome Masters appears to be paying off in Paris. The 22nd-ranked Serb may not be quite back to his Grand Slam-winning ways, but he did not drop a set while beating Rogerio Dutra Silva and Jaume Munar in the first two rounds of the tournament. Djokovic had been 3-6 in his last nine matches before making a semifinal run in Rome, where he beat Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals before succumbing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Up next for the injury-plagued 31-year-old on Friday is Bautista Agut, who trails the head-to-head series 6-1–including 3-0 on clay and 1-0 at Roland Garros. Djokovic prevailed 6-2, 6-1 at the 2016 Madrid Masters, won 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 a few weeks later at the French, lost to the Spaniard 6-4, 6-4 in the 2016 Shanghai semis, and most recently got the job done 6-4, 6-4 last spring in Rome. Bautista Agut battled past Denis Istomin in five sets to begin his fortnight before picking up the pace to hammer Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday. The world No. 13 has done very little since capturing titles earlier this season in Auckland and Dubai, so this will likely be a tough task for him based on both current form and his past struggles against Djokovic.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
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(15) Lucas Pouille vs. Karen Khachanov
Good friends and occasional doubles partners, Pouille and Khachanov are becoming all too familiar with each other on the opposite side of the net instead of the same side as they head into another meeting in the French Open third round on Friday. This marks their third career contest and third of the year, with Khachanov triumphing 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in the Marseille final and Pouille prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 a few days later in Dubai. Pouille’s home-court advantage did not work out well for him at the former, but he gets another shot in front of the French fans in this one. The world No. 16 has treated them to a pair of victories so far, beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets and Cameron Norrie in four.
Khachanov, though, will certainly feel comfortable in this setting. The 38th-ranked Russian reached the fourth round at Roland Garros last spring, earning solid wins over Nicolas Jarry, Tomas Berdych, and John Isner before bowing out against Andy Murray. He has endured little trouble so far this fortnight while taking care of Andreas Haider-Maurer and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Khachanov can dictate play against Pouille with huge hitting and will likely be able to take advantage of an opponent who had been 1-6 in his last seven tournament matches before arriving in Paris.
Pick: Khachanov in 4
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