We are going to get into a more familiar pattern of the Grand Slam format from Wednesday onwards when the beginning of the Second Round matches are scheduled to be played.
Before that the final First Round matches have to be completed on Day 3 at the French Open and there are still one or two big names that have to get their tournaments underway.
I've mentioned the French Open is unique in terms of having a Sunday start at a Grand Slam and playing the First Round across three days, but there is another uniqueness to the event which is going to be less popular for the fans. In the coming years it will be changing, but the French Open is the only Grand Slam without a roof for the Tennis and the weather expected on Tuesday and Wednesday has to be a concern for the organisers.
The other three Grand Slams don't just have a roof on the main court, but have additional roofed courts now with Court 1 at Wimbledon ready for an adverse conditions too. Soon the French Open will be joining the ranks as Chatrier is expected to have a roof in time for the 2020 tournament, but for now it could be a couple of days of frustrations for the viewers and the fans.
Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v John Millman: We have seen a couple of players who went deep into events that finished on Saturday already exit the French Open in the First Round and that may be a concern in backing Alexander Zverev here. A relatively poor clay court campaign saw the German decide to take a Wild Card into the event in Geneva to build some confidence and he managed to see off Nicolas Jarry in three sets in a rain affected Final on Saturday.
With the way the French Open First Round is split over three days, Zverev has been in the right half of the draw and also received a Tuesday start. It should mean he is fully recovered from his title exploits in Geneva, although the exits of Nikoloz Basilashvili and Dayana Yastremska does show how difficult it can be for players to perform in the week before a Grand Slam is set to begin.
While the Zverev numbers have remained pretty good for the most part, they are down on 2018 and it has led to one or two defeats that you may not have expected. I still think there is real room for improvement behind the serve considering how big Zverev's shot is, but the bigger factor in 2019 on the clay courts has been the fewer return points being won which has led to fewer breaks of serve naturally.
There is some pressure on the German to defend his Quarter Final points from last season if he is going to prevent a slip down the World Rankings. The French Open remains the only Grand Slam in which Zverev has managed to reach the last eight and that is another disappointment for a player who has performed so well at Masters level and below.
The opening match here is far from an easy one for Zverev when he faces battling Aussie John Millman who has performed decent enough on the clay in the last couple of years. However a deeper look at the opponent level shows Millman has yet to win a match at the French Open, while he is also 0-4 when facing opponents Ranked in the top 50 on this surface in 2019 and 1-2 in 2018.
Combining 2018 and 2019 numbers we can see that Millman has held 65% of the service games played on the clay courts against top 50 Ranked opponents and I would expect Alexander Zverev to make hay against that number considering he has broken in 30% of return games played on the surface.
I think Millman could also aid Zverev in getting settled into this tournament considering he has only broken in 15% of return games against the top 50 Ranked players he has faced on the clay courts in the last fourteen months. The slight lack of confidence in Zverev's game is an issue when it comes to covering this amount of games, but he should have the chances to do that as long as there isn't too much lingering fatigue from his Geneva title win.
Fernando Verdasco - 6.5 games v Daniel Evans: A year ban for taking cocaine came at the wrong time for Daniel Evans who had been playing some of his best tennis in his career at that point. The British Tennis Association did not really offer any support to Evans who had to take responsibility for his own mistakes and, unlike Maria Sharapova, Evans has had to claw his way back up the World Rankings without a host of Wild Cards into bigger events to leap forward.
Daniel Evens himself won't complain about where his career has ended up and there have been signs that he is returning to some of his more effective tennis that took him up to World Number 41 at the peak of his powers. He is now back in a position to earn his spot in the main draw of Grand Slams, and the next couple of months are very important to Evans with the grass court season coming up to really put some strong Ranking points on the board.
That doesn't mean he is heading to Paris with little ambition as he gets set to take on veteran Fernando Verdasco in the First Round. It has not been a great clay court season for Verdasco, but he looked to be getting better after overcoming an injury and also spending time away after the birth of his child just prior to the clay court campaign beginning.
One of the main areas of concern for Verdasco has been the return of serve which has seen him break in 22% of return games in 2019 compared with 28% in 2018 on this surface. He might find room to have more success against the Evans serve which is not that strong on any surface, but that is particularly highlighted on the slower clay courts.
I think we will see service games in which Verdasco struggles too, but Evans could be under immense pressure to take his chances when they come about. At some stage I think that will tell as Verdasco is able to pull away for a solid win against an opponent who is making only his second appearance at the French Open having been worn down by Tommy Robredo in 2017.
Something similar can happen here for Verdasco who has played some solid opponents on the clay courts that have affected his numbers. The veteran is someone that can be difficult to trust and he can be vulnerable in the early Rounds of Slams, but I think Verdasco is comfortably the stronger clay court player and looks like he will have more success on the return of serve than Evans in this one.
Even in a four set win I think Verdasco could find the breaks of serve that can lead to him covering this number.
Stefano Travaglia - 1.5 sets v Adrian Mannarino: When you come through the Qualifiers the chances are you are not going to receive the most favourable of draws in the First Round of a Grand Slam. In all honesty Stefano Travaglia has to be very happy with the one that has been presented to him and the Italian could soon hit the top 100 of the World Rankings for the first time in his career.
It was last month when Travaglia reached a new career best Ranking of Number 108, but winning three matches to reach the First Round of the French Open helps his cause to move back towards that mark.
Anyone who has not reached the top 100 of the World Rankings at age 27 can't really be considered as a threat to go deep into the tournament, but Travaglia has received a kind draw. Take away the fact that the home crowd will get behind Adrian Mannarino and I am struggling to think of too many better opponents for someone who is looking to win just his third ever Grand Slam match.
The Italian only dropped one set on his way through the tough Qualifiers, but the general tournaments we tend to find Travaglia is on the Challenger circuit. He has had limited experience of clay court matches at the main ATP level, although Travaglia played three such matches in 2018 and managed to hold 82% of his service games. His main issue was converting return games into breaks of serve and that could still be his Achilles Heel in this match.
However he is facing Adrian Mannarino who has never found his best tennis on the clay courts. This year he is only holding 63% of his service games played on the clay courts, although the Frenchman has been returning about as well as he can on the surface which does make him a threat in this match.
Even playing in front of his home supporters may not matter to Mannarino who is 2-10 at the French Open and has held just 61% of service games played in the tournament. Looking through some of the players that have beaten Mannarino in Paris does not inspire a lot of confidence in a player who may be looking forward to moving back onto the grass where he has tended to play much better tennis.
It can be difficult backing someone as inexperienced as Travaglia to be able to exert enough pressure to win a Grand Slam match, but he should have the superior service numbers on the day. As long as the confidence of coming through the Qualifiers has not been lost in the last few days, I think the Italian will win this one in three or four sets against an opponent who has regularly struggled on this surface.
Fabio Fognini - 6.5 games v Andreas Seppi: The Monte Carlo Masters Champion may be considered a dark horse to win the French Open, but much depends on which side of bed Fabio Fognini gets out of before each match he plays. A player who is capable of beating Rafael Nadal on the clay courts is never too far away from a mental meltdown on the court and Fognini is going to need to keep his energy in check if he is going to go deep into the tournament in Paris.
Even though Fognini won the title in Monte Carlo, his general clay court numbers are far from overwhelming. The serve has always been one of the weaknesses of the Fognini game and he is holding just 72% of the service games he has played on the clay courts in 2019 which always makes Fognini vulnerable.
Fognini has always been an effective returner on the clay though and that is a key reason I think he can get the better of compatriot Andreas Seppi who has really had a difficult time on the clay courts this season.
Andreas Seppi has lost all six clay court matches played in 2019 and the real worry for him has to be the fact that some of those defeats have come to players Ranked towards the bottom of the top 100. He has really been struggling to look after his serve, but unlike Fognini we have seen Seppi break in just 10% of the return games played which has led to some heavy losses.
After losing the first five matches to Seppi on the Tour, Fognini has won the last five between these compatriots. The last of those came here at the French Open two years ago and Fognini was able to win in straight sets and by a margin of seven games on the day.
While I am not that keen to get behind Fognini too often, this looks a good chance to do that. He will have games that he throws away behind serve, but I think Fognini's return game is in a healthy state and that should see him put a lot of pressure on Seppi and what has been a struggling serve.
Victoria Azarenka - 4.5 games v Jelena Ostapenko: If you were going to name one of the more surprising Grand Slam Champions of recent years on either the men's or women's events then I would imagine Jelena Ostapenko's name would be close to the top of the list. It has only been two years since the Latvian blitzed her way through the French Open draw to take the title home, but Ostapenko has struggled to maintain that kind of standard and has slipped down to Number 39 in the World Ranking.
Being Unseeded at a Grand Slam does mean the draw can be unkind, especially if you end up facing one of the top ten Ranked players in the tournament. While Ostapenko has avoided that fate, she has been paired with the ever improving Victoria Azarenka who is close to moving past her in the World Rankings.
Azarenka is also Unseeded here as she has struggled at key moments in matches to really put a strong together a strong run up the World Rankings. The Belarusian reached a couple of Quarter Final matches on the clay courts over the last couple of months and Azarenka has played some decent tennis on the red dirt even if it is perhaps not her favourite surface.
Much stronger performances behind the serve have really helped Azarenka compared with 2018 when she was just 1-3 on the clay courts. There has also been an improvement on the return of serve and Azarenka is someone who will believe she can cause one or two problems whilst building on her First Round exit from twelve months ago to improve her World Ranking approaching a better time of the season for her.
Jelena Ostapenko had a memorable two weeks in Paris two years ago, but her performances in 2019 on the clay courts have not been for the scrapbook. An injury in Rome meant she could not complete her match with Mihaela Buzarnescu and that has to be another concern for a player who has suffered First Round exits in Paris either side of the title win in 2017.
Over the last fourteen months Ostapenko is just 4-7 in matches against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay courts. That number is 1-4 in 2019 and there has been a real decline in her service and return numbers which could see Azarenka really dominate this match.
I have to respect the fact that Ostapenko is capable of taking the racquet out of any opponent's hands when she is hot, but Azarenka is a big hitting player herself and should be playing with a lot more confidence. Covering this number won't be easy, but I think Azarenka can do that against the former French Open Champion.
Monica Puig - 4.5 games v Kirsten Flipkens: I've mentioned Jelena Ostapenko as one of the more surprising Grand Slam Champions out there, but Monica Puig's Olympic Gold Medal success in Rio de Janeiro really came out of left field too. While a talented player, Puig has struggled to put the run of performances together to really be challenge much higher up the World Rankings than her current Ranking of Number 59.
Even Puig's peak Ranking is 'only' Number 27 and she is a player that can be as wonderful to watch as she can be frustrating when not playing at her best.
The run to the Strasbourg Quarter Final last week has at least kept Puig playing with some confidence to go into the French Open. In something of a down year in terms of her serving on the clay courts, Puig has shown improvement behind that weapon on both the first and second serves in 2019 and maintained decent returning numbers to help put the wins together.
Last year Puig also beat Kirsten Flipkens for the first time in four professional matches between the players and I can understand why the Puerto Rican is such a favourite to win this match too. Kirsten Flipkens has long played her best tennis away from the red dirt and the Belgian has lost all four clay court matches in 2019.
I would imagine Flipkens is going to be keen to get the grass court season going and she has won just two of her last seven matches at the French Open. It is going to be difficult for her to improve that record if the second serve continues to be as vulnerable as it has been for Flipkens who is then under pressure to do better on the return of serve than she has been able to do.
On her day Flipkens can frustrate opponents and really make them work hard to break her down and that is a potential worry in opposing her. Someone like Monica Puig can also be guilty of having a run of unforced errors which adds to the concern, but Puig has been playing with a lot more confidence than Flipkens at the moment and I think that will lead to a good looking win on the scoreboard in this First Round match.
MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Stefano Travaglia - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Fabio Fognini - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Victoria Azarenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Monica Puig - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Nicolas Jarry-Juan Martin Del Potro Over 35.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Yoshihito Nishioka - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Mikael Ymer - 1.5 Sets @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Irina-Camelia Begu - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
Priscilla Hon + 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Chloe Paquet @ 2.30 Bet365 (2 Units)
Saisai Zheng + 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
French Open Update: 15-8, + 10.78 Units (46 Units Staked, + 23.43% Yield)
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