French Open R3 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Opelka, Ruud vs. Davidovich Fokina

Daniil Medvedev takes the court on Friday with the bottom half of the men’s draw in third-round action. Clay season breakout star Casper Ruud will also be in action against in-form Alejandra Davidovich Fokina.

(2) Daniil Medvedev vs. (32) Reilly Opelka

Coming into this fortnight, Daniil Medvedev had never won a single match at Roland Garros. He seems to have made nice with the terre battue in Paris now. He dispatched Alexander Bublik in the first round and Tommy Paul in the second. With each successive match he seems to be more comfortable on the dirt, but he’s about to face a much trickier opponent in American Reilly Opelka.

At nearly 7 feet tall, Opelka and his serve are always formidable–but he has been playing particularly well in his past few tournaments. Furthermore, the courts are playing fast and the balls are jumping up even more than normal–which can only make Opelka’s serve more difficult to handle. Opelka made a surprising run to the semifinals in Rome.

While Medvedev seems more at ease at Roland Garros this year, Opelka has the kind of game that forces discomfort since he often robs his opponent of rhythm. If the world No. 2 gets out of sorts, the underdog may just come away with the upset.

Cheryl pick: Opelka in 5

Ricky pick: Medvedev in 4

(15) Casper Ruud vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

This has all the makings of an entertaining match. Casper Ruud has had one of the most impressive clay-court seasons on the ATP Tour. He has a pair of semifinal showings in Monte-Carlo and Madrid and he won the title in Geneva over Denis Shapovalov. He dispatched Benoit Paire and Kamil Majchrzak to earn his spot in the third round.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has also had a good European clay-court swing. The Spaniard made the quarters in Monte-Carlo and the semifinals in Estoril. He endured a tough five-setter against Botic Van De Zandschulp in the second round, but he’s match fit and should have plenty in the tank to give Ruud a run for his money.

Ruud and Davidovich Fokina met once before, at the ATP NextGen Finals back in 2019. Ruud won that encounter, but the Spaniard made him work for it. Expect a similar result on Friday.

Cheryl pick: Ruud in 4