French Open R2 previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Tsitsipas, Monfils vs. Klizan

Two matches almost certain to entertain will be taking place when French Open second-round action begins on Wednesday. Two of 2018’s best clay-courters (Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas) are going head-to-head) while Gael Monfils is facing Martin Klizan.

(7) Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Thiem and Tsitsipas will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time already this season when they clash in round two of the French Open on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Thiem, who prevailed 7-5, 6-4 in Doha and 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at the Indian Wells Masters. Alarmingly, however, the eighth-ranked Austrian went down 6-3, 6-2 on his favorite surface–clay–in the Barcelona quarterfinals.

That setback combined with an immediate exit from Rome (orchestrated by Fabio Fognini) put a damper on Thiem’s clay-court swing, but it has otherwise been somewhat successful. The 24-year-old reached the quarters in Monte-Carlo (lost to Rafael Nadal), finished runner-up to Alexander Zverev in Madrid, and won the Lyon title last week. Tsitsipas has been the tour’s breakout star in 2018, with 15 of his 19 career ATP-level match wins and a climb from 91st to a best-ever 39th in the rankings. The 19-year-old Greek was runner-up to Nadal in Barcelona, but he lost to lower-ranked opponents in Estoril (Joao Sousa) and Madrid (Evgeny Donskoy) prior to a Rome second-round setback against Juan Martin Del Potro. Tsitsipas opened in Paris on Monday by beating qualifier Carlos Taberner 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3, while Thiem disposed of qualifier Ilya Ivashka 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. A full week in Lyon, the end of which saw Thiem blow away Gilles Simon in the third set of their title match, seems to have done the two-time Roland Garros semifinalist more good than harm.

Pick: Thiem in 4

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Martin Klizan vs. (32) Gael Monfils

Wednesday’s highest-quality contest? That could be Thiem vs. Tsitsipas. The one most likely to showcase a little bit of everything? That is Monfils vs. Klizan. Two of the tour’s colorful characters will be facing each other for the third time in their careers, with their two previous encounters having been split at one win apiece. Monfils got the job done 7-6(5), 6-4 at the 2007 Washington, D.C. tournament; nine years later, Klizan triumphed 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-1 in the Rotterdam final.

This a matchup featuring two talented players who rarely bring their best tennis to the table but almost always put on a good show. Monfils certainly has not been doing much of the former this year, as recurring physical problems have prevented him from building on early momentum (a season-opening title in Doha). Like the 37th-ranked Frenchman, Klizan has struggled in 2018 with both his form and his health. But the left-hander from Slovakia heated up just in time for Roland Garros, qualifying in both Barcelona and Munich and advancing to the quarters of each event. He also hammered French Open sensation Marco Trungelliti 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of a clay-court Challenger tournament in March. Both Klizan and Monfils mostly cruised in round one, although the latter cannot afford another slow start like the one he endured against unheralded French wild card Elliot Benchetrit on Sunday. Based on his solid level of late, the world No. 117 should be able to take advantage of an opponent who is a mere 2-5 in his last seven matches.

Pick: Klizan in 4

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