French Open R1 previews and predictions: Troicki vs. Dimitrov, Sela vs. Brown

The French Open will begin on Sunday, when Grigor Dimitrov hopes to begin a rare run as an unseeded entrant. Viktor Troicki is up first for Dimitrov, while Dudi Sela and qualifier Dustin Brown are also in action.

Grigor Dimitrov vs. (22) Viktor Troicki

Troicki and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time this season when they clash in round one of the French Open on Sunday. Dimitrov prevailed 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-2 in Brisbane before an even more intense thriller saw Troicki triumph 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) in the Sydney title match. The overall head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Dimitrov, who got the job done 6-3, 6-2 on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2012.

The 25-year-old Bulgarian is not accustomed to being unseeded at Grand Slams, but he has slipped to No. 36 in the world in the aftermath of a poor 2015 campaign and a mediocre start to this season. Dimitrov played in the Istanbul title match earlier this month, but a setback against Diego Schwartzman that ended with a point penalty touched off a current three-match losing streak. Troicki has cooled off in a big way since lifting the trophy in Sydney, finishing runner-up in Sofia, and advancing to the Rotterdam quarters. The 24th-ranked Serb is 4-9 in his last 13 matches, a stretch that includes a 2-4 mark on clay. Troicki generally despises this surface, so this is a big opportunity for Dimitrov to start getting back on track.

Pick: Dimitrov in 4

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Dudi Sela vs. (Q) Dustin Brown

Brown’s history at Roland Garros is not a good one, as he is 0-2 lifetime in main-draw appearances. In fact, the 31-year-old German had not even won a single match of any kind prior to this week; he had also lost twice in the first round of qualifying. This time around, however, Brown managed to qualify and he did so without any trouble. The world No. 117 rolled to straight-set defeats of Marcelo Arevalo, Calvin Hemery, and Daniel Brands. Success has come out of nowhere for Brown, who had been on a four-match losing streak (Challengers included) prior to his arrival in Paris.

Up first for one of the tour’s most entertaining showman on Sunday is Sela, whom he has never faced. Sela has mostly been absent from the main tour this year, but he has one Challenger title to his credit in addition to a pair of runner-up performances. That is a big reason why he registers at 62nd in the world even though he is just 3-7 at the ATP level for his 2016 campaign. Like that of Brown, the Israeli’s preparation for Roland Garros was far from ideal. He compiled a 1-2 record in two clay-court events and otherwise spent the spring playing hard-court Challengers. The difference is that Sela does not have three qualifying wins under his belt. A confident Brown should overpower his opponent en route to the second round.

Pick: Brown in 4

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