French Open R2 previews and predictions: Nishikori vs. Tsonga, De Minaur vs. Carreno Busta

French Open seeds Kei Nishikori and Alex De Minaur appear to have tough tests on their hands for the beginning of second-round action on Wednesday. Nishikori is going up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while De Minaur battles Pablo Carreno Busta.

(7) Kei Nishikori vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Nishikori and Tsonga will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they clash in round two at Roland Garros on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-3 in favor of Nishikori, but Tsonga survived their only previous clay-court encounter 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 at the 2015 French Open. Due in part to physical issues plaguing both men (mostly Tsonga), the two veterans have faced each other only twice since that Paris thriller. Nishikori cruised 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at the 2016 Australian Open before the Frenchman emerged victorious via a 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) decision at the Paris Masters. However, that is not to say that Nishikori is hopeless when Tsonga has home-court advantage. The current world No. 7 from Japan previously prevailed at the Paris Masters in 2013 and 2014.

An obvious favorite this time around, Nishikori registers at No. 7 in the world even though his 20-9 record in 2019 is modest by his lofty standards. The 29-year-old is a respectable 7-3 in his last 10 clay-court matches this spring following Monday’s 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 rout of French wild card Quentin Halys. Tsonga, meanwhile, treated the crowd to a 7-6(4), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Peter Gojowyczk. The world No. 82 is finally armed with a clean bill of health at the moment and he has parlayed the good fortune into a 17-8 record this season, which includes a title on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier and two semifinal finishes. Tsonga is playing well enough to make this intriguing, but he would rather contest it on a faster, slicker surface. Too many extended baseline battles could be the underdog’s downfall during the latter stages of a hard-fought tilt.

Pick: Nishikori in 4

[polldaddy poll=10330290]

(21) Alex De Minaur vs. Pablo Carreno Busta

Due mainly to injuries, Carreno Busta has been unable to recapture the magic since enjoying incredible Grand Slam success in 2017. The Spaniard made a run to the French Open quarterfinals and fared even better at the U.S. Open, where a semifinal showing propelled him to an alternate appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals. Carreno Busta is an abbreviated 4-7 in 2019, but he seemed to emerge from a massive slump by destroying Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday.

Up next for the world No. 57 on Wednesday is a first-ever meeting with De Minaur, who has been dealing with physical problems of his own. The 20-year-old Aussie still finds himself at an impressive 25th in the rankings, but he has won only five matches since the end of the Australian summer. De Minaur had been 0-3 on clay this season before cruising past Bradley Klahn 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in his Roland Garros opener. This is a much tougher test, of course, and Carreno Busta’s most recent performance suggests that he can give the youngster a free clay-court lesson.

Pick: Carreno Busta in 3

[polldaddy poll=10330289]