The French Open tournament now advances into the second day of play for the second round. Taking a look back to Wednesday, we had a winning day as we cashed in with all three of our tennis picks. We had Roberto Bautista Agut, who took care of Mikhail Kukushkin, we had Lucas Pouille to advance past Thomaz Bellucci and he did, and we also had Albert Ramos to get past Benjamin Bonzi and cashed for us.
Looking ahead to Thursday, high-profile ATP players will be tested after easing their way into the tournament in round one. We’ll see if more upsets enter into a tournament which has been anything but routine thus far, with the exceptions of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Andy Murray vs. Martin Klizan
In exact contrast to 2016, Andy Murray has come to Paris with little to no confidence. This year Murray has lost to players he normally beats without much struggle. Much hasn’t been expected of Murray in the French capital but if he can get a couple of wins, he could regain his usual self. The margin of error is higher in a five-set match and to beat a top star like Murray, one has to produce a consistently high level of tennis for a longer period of time. This is exactly what Alex Kuznetsov, Murray’s first-round challenger, couldn’t do. Kuznetsov created chances, produced winners, and even managed to steal a set but couldn’t cause any more harm.
However, Murray’s second-round opponent Martin Klizan has all the tools to create an upset. Klizan is more than decent on clay, and has a forehand which can take anyone apart. In his first-round match, it appeared Klizan was cruising but almost made a mess out of it. The Slovakian lost the plot after running to a two-set lead but then dug deep to beat Frenchman Laurent Lokoli in an extended five-set affair.
This clay swing has seen Murray suffer at the hands of a left-handed Spaniard named Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Klizan can be as dangerous as Ramos-Vinolas on his best day. The Slovak can smell opportunity, and Murray might not be ready to play well enough to overcome him.
Pick: Klizan in five sets
Nicolas Almagro vs. Juan Martin del Potro
While Murray suffered a little blip in his first rounder, Juan Martin del Potro had no such problems in getting past fellow Argentine Guido Pella. The injury-played Argentine missed the Australian Open and hasn’t played at Roland Garros since 2012, but that didn’t stop him from progressing to the second round.
Nicolas Almagro looked in trouble at the start but made a steady recovery to defeat Marcos Baghdatis in a tough first-round encounter. The draw only gets more difficult for Almagro, who will face del Potro in what promises to be a tasty encounter on Thursday. Both have battled injuries in the past, both have seen their ranking slip, but also both are eager to succeed despite all the roadblocks they’ve encountered in their lives. Unfortunately, they’ve come up against each other and one has to win. Delpo is the likely choice.
Pick: del Potro in four sets
Stan Wawrinka vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov
Stan Wawrinka should be a relived man to commit 33 unforced errors and still come out victorious in straight sets. Jozef Kovalik, the Slovakian qualifier, made Wawrinka fight for every point. The world No. 3 saved multiple set points in the second set tiebreaker and eventually won it. It also ensured he didn’t play a long match.
Alexandr Dolgopolov didn’t drop much sweat either. The Dog swept past Carlos Berlocq in straight sets to set up a mouthwatering second-round clash against Wawrinka. Dolgopolov missed most of the clay season due to injury but he looked fine in the South American clay swing in February. If he could bring that form and seriousness to the table, this could be a classic. It could still go either way with both men having the capability to outhit and outwit each other. However, if it was a best-of-three-set match, Dolgopolov would have better odds. Since it is a Grand Slam, Wawrinka is the better choice.
Pick: Wawrinka in four sets
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