The 2023 French Open kicks off on Sunday with Andrey Rublev taking on Laslo Djere and young American Ben Shelton battling Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. Rublev could be a contender after winning the Monte-Carlo Masters.
(7) Andrey Rublev vs. Laslo Djere
Andrey Rublev, the world No. 7, has delivered a productive European clay swing. In April it appeared as though it would be a spectacular spring for the Russian, as he won his first ever Masters event in Monte-Carlo over Holger Rune. He followed up his biggest title to date with a run to the final in Banja Luka but was stunned in the title match by an inspired Dusan Lajovic. Rublev was unable to replicate his early success at the Masters events in Madrid and Rome, where he lost consecutively in the round of 16.
Serbia’s Laslo Djere is ranked 60th in the world, far off his career high of 27th back in 2019. He made a final appearance at the Cagliari Challenger and he performed well at the Rome Masters two weeks ago, when he matched Rublev’s result of the round of 16. Clay is the Serb’s most successful surface, but he faces a tough opponent in Rublev right out of the gate.
Rublev holds a comfortable 3-0 lifetime head-to-head advantage over Djere, although the Serb took him to five sets at last year’s U.S. Open. This may end up being more competitive than their respective rankings would suggest. Djere showed a spark in the early rounds in Rome before he was shellacked in the last 16 by Casper Ruud. And while Rublev is a notably talented clay courter, he has been slightly off in his last two events.
Cheryl pick: Rublev in 4
Ricky pick: Rublev in 3
(30 Ben Shelton vs. Lorenzo Sonego
American Ben Shelton’s first year as a professional tennis player has been quite a success so far. The 2022 NCAA champion, benefitting from a favorable surface and an even more favorable draw, made his way to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. It has not been smooth sailing since for the 20-year-old. He limped through the Sunshine Double, where he won a single match in Indian Wells. He has given himself plenty of opportunities to play on clay in the lead-up to Roland Garros but has had minimal success.
Lorenzo Sonego hasn’t had spectacular results on the dirt, either, this year. Except a pair of wins he posted at the Rome Masters two weeks ago, he has not won two matches in a row on clay this season. The world No. 48 will be looking to right the ship at the right time in Paris.
Shelton won their only other match, although that was on the hard courts of Cincinnati–so it’s unlikely to be a good indicator of what to expect on Sunday. Sonego is by far the more experienced clay courter, and while Shelton has some potential on clay it’s hard to imagine him making inroads in Paris just yet.
Cheryl pick: Sonego in 4
Ricky pick: Sonego in 5
who ya got?
Rublev in 3; Shelton w/the Gator chomp, in 5.