French Open R3 previews and predictions: Gasquet vs. Kyrgios, Simon vs. Troicki

Arguably the most intriguing Roland Garros third-round matchup will see Richard Gasquet and Nick Kyrgios renew their rivalry on Friday. Gilles Simon and Viktor Troicki are also in action.

(17) Nick Kyrgios vs. (9) Richard Gasquet

Unlike the case at the other three Grand Slams, the combination of Kyrgios and the French Open has never quite delivered any real drama. That could change on Friday, when Kyrgios faces a familiar foe in Gasquet. Of their six previous encounters, four of which Gasquet has won, two have been Wimbledon thrillers. Kyrgios prevailed 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8 in 2014 after saving nine match points, but Gasquet exacted revenge with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) victory in 2015. They have faced each other once this season, when Kyrgios was blazing through Marseille and clobbered the Frenchman 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on his way to his first career ATP title.

The 21-year-old Australian has advanced so far at Roland Garros with straight-set routs of Marco Cecchinato and Igor Sijsling. He is a stellar 24-7 this season with semifinal showings in Dubai, Miami, and Estoril plus a quarterfinal performance in Madrid to go along with his Marseille exploits. Gasquet is through to the last 32 by virtue of straight-set victories over Thomaz Bellucci and Bjorn Fratangelo. The world No. 12 is looking to improve on his recent third-round exits in Madrid and Rome, where he lost in straight sets to Kei Nishikori on both occasions. Current form may favor Kyrgios, but he would rather go up against Gasquet once again on either grass or indoors. In addition to the surface, the ninth seed should benefit from a raucous crowd that will be eager to get itself under Kyrgios’ skin.

Pick: Gasquet in 5

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(16) Gilles Simon vs. (22) Viktor Troicki

What will Simon do for an encore? That is the question after the Frenchman outlasted Guido Pella in a five-set thriller that lasted four hours and 32 minutes on Wednesday. Simon trailed by two sets and by 4-2 in the third before storming back, eventually breaking when Pella served for the match in the fourth, and prevailing 4-6, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-4 thanks to a conversion of his eighth match point. The world No. 18 preceded that victory with a much more routine straight-set win over Rogerio Dutra Silva.

Up next for Simon on Friday is a seventh career meeting with Troicki, who is a woeful 0-6 in the head-to-head series. In fact, you will struggle to find more lopsided matchups on tour. Simon is a perfect 12-0 in total sets against Troicki following straight-set victories in 2007 (Bastad and Sopot), 2009 (Bangkok and Shanghai), 2011 (Sydney), and earlier this spring (Monte-Carlo via a 6-4, 6-4 decision). Troicki outlasted Grigor Dimitrov in five sets on Monday before getting a retirement from fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic, who was trailing two sets to one. The world No. 24 is a decent 18-12 for the year and 13-7 lifetime at Roland Garros. In part due to Simon’s inevitable fatigue, Troicki should be able to make this one more competitive than usual–but it probably won’t end well.

Pick: Simon in 4

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