No. 11 seed David Goffin will battle NextGen star Jannik Sinner on opening day at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Rome runner-up Diego Schwartzman kicks off his fortnight against Kitzbuhel winner Miomir Kecmanovic.
(11) David Goffin vs. Jannik Sinner
On paper, this looks like a slam dunk for No. 11 seed David Goffin. His first-round opponent is ranked No. 74 in the world and lost in the first round of qualies in Cincinnati and the first round of the main draw at the U.S. Open the following week. Unfortunately for the Belgian, it may actually turn out to be a complicated first round.
Jannik Sinner didn’t have a terrible successful return to tennis after the COVID layoff, but a return to the clay courts of Europe a few weeks ago was far more promising for the Italian. He made the round of 16 at the Rome Masters, dispatching Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way before losing to world No. 22 Grigor Dimitrov.
And then there’s the fact that Sinner has already beaten Goffin in 2020. The two men met in Rotterdam, where Sinner won in two tight sets. Furthermore, Goffin’s return to clay in Rome was short-lived; Marin Cilic shellacked him 6-2, 6-2 in his first match of the abbreviated clay season.
Goffin is still the favorite for Sunday’s match, but that is mostly because Sinner seems to have some difficulty finishing off best-of-five matches. The 19-year-old may well take a set (or even two) early in the match, but Goffin should find a way through.
Cheryl pick: Goffin in 4
Ricky pick: Goffin in 4
(12) Diego Schwartzman vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Diego Schwartzman just did something of which few other players can boast: he beat Rafael Nadal on clay. The Argentine was having a horrid season when he ran into Nadal in the quarters in Rome, but instead of the expected Schwartzman dispatched Nadal in straight sets. He rode that wave of confidence all the way to the final, where he finally went down to Novak Djokovic.
Miomir Kecmanovic enjoys a near-career high ranking of No. 40 in the world. The young Serb comes into Paris riding high off his first-ever ATP-level tournament win in Kitzbuhel a couple of weeks ago. While it’s true that he faced nobody ranked higher than 34th in the world during his championship run, he will be full of confidence ahead of Sunday’s match.
The two men have not met before and Schwartzman will be the clear favorite in their first-ever encounter. The Argentine has far more experience in big best-of-five matches and his run to the final in Rome was impressive, so he should be brimming with confidence. Still, Kecmanovic is young and in form and an early set for the Serb wouldn’t be completely surprising.
Cheryl pick: Schwartzman in 3
Ricky pick: Schwartzman in 4
WWW?
Sinner in 4; Schartzman in 3.
Sinner is very impressive! So hard to hit through the court!
These wet conditions + new heavy balls are perfect for Sinner, he is absolutely crushing it.
Also, how is Hamburg still going with RG on? Aren’t Rublev/Tsitsipas going to gas themselves out?
Sinner is crushing it under these conditions, he looks very dangerous.
Don’t know how Tsitsipas/Rublev are going to recover for RG given they’re still playing now…
Sinner wins easily! Guy has a bright future!
Yeah, definitely a promising young talent. Good movement and he can play aggressive off both wings.
With it raining, the roof closed, and the new heavy balls, conditions couldn’t be more perfect for him at RG right now. Goffin’s just unlucky to draw him in the first round.