Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz plays countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Wednesday at Roland Garros for a spot in the third round. American Sebastian Korda will take the court against the French veteran Richard Gasquet.
(6) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Carlos Alcaraz has positioned himself as the dominant clay-court player of the 2022 season thus far. The Spanish teenager captured titles in Barcelona and Madrid before taking a couple weeks’ rest in the lead-up to Roland Garros. He has notable wins over both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic this season and he was one of the pre-tournament favorites to win the title next Sunday.
Alcaraz will face countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, a player he beat twice prior to his 2022 breakthrough. The veteran’s clay season has been a mixed bag. He had a good showing in Estoril, where he made the semis, but crashed out in the first round in his next three events.
With Alcaraz’s speed and confidence on the terre battue this spring, anything other than a straight-set victory on Wednesday would be a surprise.
Cheryl pick: Alcaraz in 3
Ricky pick: Alcaraz in 3
(27) Sebastian Korda vs. Richard Gasquet
American Sebastian Korda has managed to snag a seed at a slam for the first time in Paris. Due to a rain delay, he was forced to play his first-round match on Tuesday and now has to come back around for thre second round on Wednesday. The good news is that he defeated John Millman in straight sets; the bad news is that both the second and third sets were longer than they needed to be.
The No. 27 seed has been plagued with nerves while attempting to serve out matches. He was broken again on Tuesday serving for the match at 5-3 in the third. Korda managed to hold himself together to win the ensuing tiebreaker, but opponents are only going to get more difficult as the tournament progresses.
French veteran Richard Gasquet is ranked 70th in the world and will be the sentimental favorite for the Parisian crowd. He comes into Roland Garros off some success in Geneva, where he made the semifinals–defeating world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev along the way. He posted a tidy win over Lloyd Harris in the first round, but Korda is much more comfortable on the dirt than Harris.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 3
Ricky pick: Korda in 4
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