Sixteen spots in the French Open main draw are up for grabs on Friday. A two-team panel picks the remaining qualifying matches.
Stephane Robert vs. (17) Jiri Vesely
Ricky: The 33-year-old Frenchman, who once beat Tomas Berdych at the French Open, should have too much experience even though his younger opponent is more talented. Both are coming off impressive second-round wins, so expect this one to be a battle. Robert in 3.
Steen Kirby (Tennis East Coast): The only teen in the ATP top 200 can make his main draw Grand Slam debut with a win over the veteran Frenchmen Robert. Interestingly, the former junior number 1 never made it past the opening round at the junior French Open but has been scorching his way through futures, challengers, and now FO qualifying. Vesely in 2.
(2) Vasek Pospisil vs. Frank Dancevic
Ricky: Dancevic has done well to make it through two rounds, but he has a ton of wear and tear on his body and his up-and-coming countryman does not. Pospisil in 2.
Steen: The younger Canadian is the better of the two but it should be a competitive battle. Pospisil in 3.
(3) Steve Darcis vs. (26) Simon Greul
Ricky: Clay gives Greul a shot but Darcis is simply a far better player and the Belgian made easier work of his first two matches. Darcis in 2.
Steen: Darcis is more reliable of the two veterans and is steady enough to get the win. Darcis in 2.
(4) Andreas Haider-Maurer vs. Pere Riba
Ricky: Haider-Maurer survived his first-rounder 9-7 in the third and he blitzed through his second match with ease. He’s got the momentum. Haider-Maurer in 3.
Steen: Riba is much lower in ranking, but has had a much better year than Haider-Maurer who has somewhat surprised me getting this far. Riba in 2.
(5) Adrian Ungur vs. (20) Steve Johnson
Ricky: Johnson kicked off his first full season as a professional by qualifying for the Australian Open, so he knows how to get it done. Clay favors Ungur, but Johnson can hit him off the court even on this surface. Johnson in 3.
Steen: A lot of credit goes to Johnson for making it this far and surprising a lot of folks, including myself, but I think the run ends here against a more traditional clay-courter. I watched Johnson at the Tallahassee Challenger on clay this year and he didn’t look comfortable at all, especially with his movement, but I have to think the practice on the surface has helped him improve a lot. Ungur in 2.
Antonio Veic vs. Andreas Beck
Ricky: Beck is a Top 50 talent when he’s not injured. If he’s gotten through two rounds, he must be okay physically. Beck in 3.
Steen: Beck has won both of their career meetings on clay, thus giving him a slight edge. Beck in 3.
Julian Reister vs. Farrukh Dustov
Ricky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkh6if8TL2U. Dustov in 3.
Steen: Reister won both clay-court meetings last year with ease but Dustov, who has had a rough year, did seem to play himself into form last week at the Samarkand Challenger and has been better since. Reister in 3.
(8) Wayne Odesnik vs. Somdev Devvarman
Ricky: Everyone will be pulling for Somdev here and he should get the job done. The surface doesn’t help matters, but Somdev has no business being in qualifying when he is not injured and he is clearly healthy again after his injury-plagued 2012. Devvarman in 3.
Steen: They have never met, but Odesnik is far and above superior on clay. That being said, Devvarman beat Matteo Viola in round one while Odesnik won a barn-burner with Cedrik-Marcel in round two. Odesnik in 2.
Pablo Carreno-Busta vs. Vincent Millot
Ricky: Like this is even a discussion. Carreno-Busta in 2.
Steen: Carreno-Busta honestly doesn’t deserve to have to qualify. He has played so impeccably well this year, at all levels, from Futures on up. His game is excellent excluding a rather weak serve and he should cruise through and probably do some damage in the main draw, too, as a dangerous floater. Carreno-Busta in 2.
Pavol Cervenak vs. Maxime Teixeira
Ricky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-iQldPiH64. Teixeira in 3.
Steen: Cervenak has won both career H2H meetings on clay. Both players have pulled off upsets to reach the final round of qualifying. Cervenak in 2.
(11) Denis Kudla vs. Arthur De Greef
Ricky: Kudla outlasted Peter Polansky 15-13 in the third to reach the final round. That’s the only reason why he might not win this one. Kudla in 3.
Steen: Dynamite Denis is another of the Americans who is doing well on Parisian clay this year, and he has had a pretty good year in general, including a win on green clay in Tallahassee. Similar to Johnson, I think the exposure to clay these past few weeks has helped considerably. De Greef is a clay-courter but it won’t be enough. Kudla in 3.
(12) Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili
Ricky: This could easily be the best match of the entire third round. A slight edge goes to Struff because Gabashvili needed two three-setters to get this far. Struff in 3.
Steen: Gabashvili won two Challengers in a row then proceeded to win two matches in Paris. Struff is also doing well, but Gabashvili has the mojo right now. Gabashvili in 3.
(13) Jack Sock vs. Facundo Arguello
Ricky: It’s not happening for Sock against Arguello on clay. Arguello would almost certainly beat anyone left in the entire draw other than Carreno-Busta. Arguello in 2.
Steen: Arguello, a Gaston Gaudio pupil, has had a great year and has fiery talent on clay. Sock is talented as well, but nobody would expect him to do so well on clay and find himself in the final round of qualifying. Like the three other Yanks left in the draw, Sock has to be commended and the clay-court exposure has definitely helped him, but I think he falls short here. Arguello in 2.
(14) Illya Marchenko vs. (2) Daniel Munoz-De La Nava
Ricky: This would likely be a rout on anything other than clay. Even on the slow stuff, the discrepancy in talent could be too much for DMDLN to overcome. Marchenko in 3.
Steen: This should be a tight match either way you slice it, as both players have shown flashes of good play mixed with struggles but I’ll go with the veteran Munoz. Munoz-De La Nava in 3.
(15) Rhyne Williams vs. (22) Michal Przysiezny
Ricky: Williams prefers faster surfaces, but his semifinal in Houston last month bodes well for his progression on clay. Williams in 3.
Steen: Both players are having good years, and Williams clearly has a good level of play on clay as his semifinal showing in Houston showed. Przysiezny, however, is a bit more experienced and more comfortable. This should be close. Przysiezny in 3.
Dusan Lajovic vs. James Duckworth
Ricky: Both of these guys are coming off very good wins in the second round. Duckworth made a name for himself at home in Australia earlier this season so he is clearly not afraid of the big stages at Grand Slams. Duckworth in 3.
Steen: The 22-year-old Lajovic and the 21-year-old Duckworth have both been steadily moving up in the rankings. Both have had success on clay, which is a bit unusual for an Australian like Duckworth–who is probably most remembered for the duck calls that Aussie fans used during his grueling Australian Open matches. Lajovic in 2.
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