Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Steen Kirby of Tennis Atlantic preview and pick the four best men’s singles matches on Saturday at the French Open. Fast-rising stars Jack Sock, Borna Coric, and Nick Kyrgios are all on the schedule.
Jack Sock vs. Borna Coric
Ricky: If you aren’t excited for this one, well, you’re not a hardcore tennis fan. Sock and Coric should be battling deep into Grand Slams–much deeper than the third round, in fact–for years to come. Both rising stars have already posted mammoth wins at Roland Garros. Sock upset No. 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the first round and Coric outlasted 18th-seeded Tommy Robredo in five sets during second-round action. As you might expect, that one was an absolute war. Coric’s fitness is no kind of question mark, but at 18 years old he is not accustomed to five-setters. Surviving another one–and withstanding Sock’s offensive barrage–may be too much to ask. Sock 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Steen: I for one am pleased Jack Sock made it this far after a pair of quality wins, and it’s even more intriguing that another young gun, Coric, has done the same (though his wins were more expected in my book). This should be a close match that has the makings of a future rivalry regardless of the outcome. Sock’s forehand on this clay is a threat, while Coric has a slight edge in the all-around game. It could be a classic battle in which both will lay it all on the line. I tend to wonder how the five-setter will affect Coric fatigue-wise, and with that being the case I’m going with Sock in five sets. Sock 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
[polldaddy poll=8898562]
(3) Andy Murray vs. (29) Nick Kyrgios
Ricky: Holy smokes this one looks good on paper. Murray is undefeated with a 12-0 record on clay this season. Kyrgios is a human highlight reel who thrives on big stages. Unfortunately, this matchup might not live up to the hype. It certainly has not in the past. Murray cruised 6-2, 6-2 last summer in Toronto and 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of this year’s Australian Open. This just isn’t a good matchup for Kyrgios. Even with his firepower, the young Aussie still struggles to his through Murray’s defense. It will be even tougher to do so on the red stuff. Murray 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4.
Steen: Murray has twice defeated Kyrgios on a hard court, as the Aussie doesn’t seem to match up as well against him as he does with Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. That said, Kyrgios has played only three sets of tennis as he comes off a walkover, while Murray has played seven this tournament and Joao Sousa gave him a test for at least a couple of sets in their match. Kyrgios should be fresher, and given that Murray has a habit of starting slow, I could see the underdog roaring out of the gate and winning the first set or maybe even first two sets. That said, in the long run the arc of this match should favor Murray on the clay, so I have him advancing in five. Murray 4-6, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4.
[polldaddy poll=8898347]
(9) Marin Cilic vs. (23) Leonardo Mayer
Ricky: Interestingly, their only previous encounter also came in the same round of this same event (Cilic prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4 in 2010). The 2014 U.S. Open champion, who is on the way back from a lingering shoulder injury, said earlier this season that he hoped reach peak shape in time for Wimbledon. He appears to be on the right track with two routine victories so far in Paris. This is a tough one to call, but Mayer struggled at times with Jiri Vesely and Jerzy Janowicz. That’s not what the Argentine needed coming off a long week in Nice (finished runner-up to Dominic Thiem). Cilic 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Steen: When they played at the 2010 French Open, it went five sets. Cilic is a weaker player than he was then, while Mayer has improved. Thus we could have the makings of an instant classic, as the style clash will be evident. Mayer has beaten tougher opponents so far in Paris, while Cilic has looked more fashionable in his wins. It’s a difficult pick, but I’m going with Cilic’s experience to win the day. Cilic 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
[polldaddy poll=8899951]
(20) Richard Gasquet vs. (15) Kevin Anderson
Ricky: This is the seventh time Gasquet and Anderson will face each other and the seventh time they will face each other in a round of 32. But it is the first time they will square off on clay, which favors Gasquet. The Frenchman already leads the head-to-head series 4-2 even though all six of their previous encounters have come on hard courts. Gasquet has endured the tougher week so far, needing five sets to get past Carlos Berlocq in a darkness-delayed match. But he required only seven total games to win the fifth set on Friday and should have plenty left in the tank to treat the home crowd to another win. Gasquet 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-5.
Steen: Given this is clay, and in France, Gasquet should probably cruise. But Anderson has dropped just one set over two matches (against weak opponents, but still…), while Gasquet is coming off a difficult five setter against Berlocq, perhaps saved to some extent by the fact the fifth set got postponed due to darkness. Gasquet was incredibly shaky at times and got bossed around by Berlocq in their match. Anderson could dictate play similarly with his forehand, but I still have to go with Gasquet to advance. Gasquet 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
[polldaddy poll=8899946]
Ferrer vs Bolelli 5-5 in 3rd and 1 set all. Ferrer struggling to put away Bolelli.
Let’s blame it on lenglen.
good thinking hawkeye…
2 great forehands from Rafa then he pushes a rubbish second serve just over the net!
obligingly though Kuznetsov chucks away his serve…
what is it with the problem on second serves?! it’s affecting his whole game…
amy,
This has been going on for a while now. His second serve is a real liability. Not enough speed and his serving patterns have become quite predictable. Looking at his stats for his previous matches, he’s just not winning enough points with his second serve. That will put pressure on him to get first serves in.
Unfortunately, this is nothing new with him.
nny,
sorry I meant his second serve returns…they have been really poor..has had so many short second serves which he should have put away….he’s just patting them back or missing them!
I am only now watching the third set. So I can’t judge from having just started watching. All I know is that Rafa just broke this guy.
If Rafa is not playing well, that shouldn’t be a surprise because he’s been up and down all year. It’s fortunate that he’s playing a guy who can’t really capitalize on it.
Okay, blame it on Lenglen.
amy,
I am sorry that I misunderstood. So you were talking about the ROS. Well that’s not surprising either. With Rafa these days it’s tough sometimes to watch.
Ironically, they posted stats for second serve points won percentages in the third set. Rafa was winning 80%! So that’s good for him. But this guy isn’t exactly a challenging opponent.
Rafa got the win. That’s what counts.
If you don’t have the tennis channel in the states, then you are in big trouble if you want to watch tennis.
nny, think the stats were a lot lower early in the match…..was losing my concentration at times as I was getting so frustrated with the forehand in particular…
You could lose the will to live just watching this match 🙁
The crowd have been amazingly patient so far.
The 2nd set, all 9 games of it, dragged on for 57 minutes!
ed,
I didn’t see it. What on earth was going on in the second set? Paul Annacone was asked for his thoughts on Rafa in this match late in the third set. His response was that he was decent or something like that, except for a blip when he was up 5-1 in the second set. Then he said that Rafa ticked off all the boxes. That doesn’t sound like he was that bad.
Rafa didn’t look bad from what I saw in the third set.
Rafa’s passing shots off as well…
Phew, thank God that’s over……………
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa wins….he’s going to have to raise his game for Sock let alone Nole…
Am hoping this is the obligatory bad early round match we always get….
Yep vamos Rafa.
Rafa will need to pull up his socks in the next round. Couldn’t resist.
Rafa the darling of the RG crowd.
Pull up his socks! Nice pun! But it’s true. That guy is playing some outstanding tennis right now. He’s just hot. Rafa will definitely have to play well against him. Taking Rafa out in a best three out of five match at RG is the toughest thing in tennis, but that match is not going to be a cakewalk. Sock has no pressure, nothing at all on the line. He can come out and go for his shots.
I’m glad I stayed away from this forum throughout the match because I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The torrential sweating when it is only 18C is pretty worrying….surely it affects him both mentally and physically….
The sweating is a concern, especially if it wasn’t that hot on the court today.
I am grateful for the honesty in the comments on the forum. Since I didn’t get to see the first two sets, I want to know what’s going with Rafa and how he’s playing.
Service machine also known as Kevin Anderson lost the 3rd set to Gasquet. The Frenchman now up 2 sets to 1.
Native, how do I get access to Tennis Channel?
my optimum cable provider does not have tennis channel. Are you seeing it online?
OK. we know it is impossible to play your best game against a mediocre player but that match was dismal. What puzzles me is Rafa didn’t appear the least bit bothered in the on court interview. Any theories about why he seemed quite relaxed?
I find that a bit puzzling ed, because he seemed visibly put out about the mistakes he was making from 5-1 onwards in the second set. He shouldn’t have lost his serve at that point against Kuznetsov who wasn’t really doing that much. Maybe if he’s been out of form he’s just grateful for the easy win….he played MUCH better against Almagro..
I think he’s trying to be more relaxed about this RG in an attempt to reduce expectations and it’s resultant pressure in preparation for his pending final vs Nole.
hope that’s what’s it is….bit difficult to know what’s going on as he always has a weak early round match in slams….but normally when he has a poor match he doesn’t look quite so cheerful afterwards…..he’s gonna have to brush up his forehand for Sock…and his first serve…
Because he played a great match. He shanked some balls because he dropped his intensity and started taking things for granted. In his interview with Mats they both agreed thathis game is improving by the day.
Maybe I watched a different match.
Maybe you were on Facebook when he was broken twice when serving Ford the first and second sets. That could explain it.
Thanks Native, who is your cable operator?
atul,
I have Comcast. I am in Florida. I also had Hotwire when I was living in my mother’s house. They both have packages that include the tennis channel. When I lived in California I had AT&T Uverse. They also had the tennis channel. I have been lucky with my cable providers. It’s always the first question I ask – do you have the tennis channel?
Thanks Native.
I recently moved to the U.S. and I did not know of these nuances 🙂
I will change my cable operator right away. just spoke to Verizon and they provide tennis channel
Thanks again for your help
Ferrer has now won 11 games in a row vs Bolelli.
atul,
You are very welcome! I didn’t know that you just moved to the U.S. I am glad that you asked because you should be able to get a provider who can give you a package with the tennis channel. I couldn’t live without it. I am going to check out this new package that they are offering where you get to see more matches.
Again, it’s my pleasure and I hope you get your new cable set up as quickly as possible! 🙂
When you are playing someone you are beating easily you relax a bit and are taken by surprise when they play the odd good shot. Kuznetsov started going to winners because he knew he had nothing to lose that’s why he took the 2nd set to 6:3.