With the majority of the First Round already completed, the remaining matches in this Round are set to go on Tuesday before the tournament enters a more familiar pattern like all the other Grand Slams.
Adjustments are being made by the players, but also by myself as I try and work out the best approach to take to the selections. I have to accept that the lack of clay court preparation is having an impact, while the cooler conditions and change in ball seemingly irritating those taking part in the tournament.
It has made it a difficult first couple of days, but there is time to turn this tournament around. I would be happy to receive a bit more luck than I have had in the first two days, although I am also looking to make the adjustments needed for better fortunes too.
Cristian Garin - 6.5 games v Philipp Kohlschreiber: There are a few players out on the Tour who are showing that age is nothing but a number, but for others there is a clear decline taking place in their final years in competitive action. One of those who looks to be drawing to the end of his career is Philipp Kohlschreiber as the veteran goes into this First Round match as a clear underdog against Christain Garin.
The German is slipping dangerously close to exiting the top 100 of the World Rankings and that would mean the big events are no longer within Kohlschreiber's grasp. At 36 years old and with his 37th birthday coming up before the end of the year, Philipp Kohlschreiber has to wonder how much he has left to give on the Tour.
He is 1-6 in 2020 in matches against top 100 Ranked opponents and Kohlschreiber has lost his two matches on the main Tour on the clay courts over the last month. Both have been fairly comfortable losses for Kohlschreiber and now he is going up against a top 20 Ranked opponent who is looking to surpass his best career World Ranking by having a strong showing in Paris.
I do have to be a little concerned with how Christian Garin is going to handle a European Autumn when the weather is significantly cooler than it would have been if the tournament was played when scheduled back in May. However, the Chilean reached the Semi Final in Hamburg last week in a clay court event to prepare for the French Open and he pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas all the way in that match before he was eventually beaten.
Philipp Kohlschreiber was struggling with both his serve and return in the two matches he has lost on the clay courts since the US Open was concluded. I do think the conditions won't exactly be favourable for the veteran either as the slower conditions and heavier ball means a lot of longer rallies and that could see Kohlschreiber worn down physically and mentally in a best of five set match.
I would describe Christian Garin as a solid if unspectacular clay court player and even his numbers over the last month don't exactly leap off the page despite that Semi Final run in Hamburg. That does make it more difficult to trust him to cover this kind of number in conditions where breaks of serve could be pretty frequent, I am just not convinced that Philipp Kohlschreiber is the player who will expose those vulnerabilities that Garin has.
The veteran has struggled with his return against top 100 Ranked opponents in 2020 and his own serve is not as strong as it once was. That should couple together for Christian Garin and I will look for him to move through to the Second Round behind a good looking win.
Dusan Lajovic - 7.5 games v Gianluca Mager: On the face of things you may think that Dusan Lajovic is massively over-rated in this First Round match, although his performances over the last month have been encouraging on this surface. The Serbian is very close to cracking his previous career high World Ranking after the Quarter Final run in Hamburg last week, and a strong run for Lajovic in Paris may also been good enough to earn a spot in the top 20 when the World Rankings are released the day after the Final of the French Open.
Losses to Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas are not going to discourage Dusan Lajovic, especially not when you consider how well he has played in his wins. The level of competition has been high so I would expect Lajovic to feel suitably prepared for what could be a tough tournament for many of the players to deal with and he is not facing up to one of the stronger players on the Tour in this one.
That is not to disrespect Gianluca Mager who is inside the top 100 of the World Rankings and that meant an automatic spot in the main draw at the French Open. He has reached the Final at the tournament held in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year which really helped the World Ranking, but the appearance at the US Open last month was the first time Mager had played in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
It is the first time he will be doing that in Paris, but Gianluca Mager may be disappointed he has not been able to do that when the fans have been allowed to show up.
The worry for the Italian has to be the fact he has not won any of the four matches he has played since the Tour resumed in August and the two defeats on the clay courts over the last month have been disappointingly one-sided. Gianluca Mager may feel he can get into his rhythm in the heavier conditions here in Paris, but his serve could be affected and I do think Dusan Lajovic has an edge in the returning part of the game which can put him in a position to wear down this opponent.
It is a big number, I won't deny that, but I do think Dusan Lajovic has been playing with some real confidence which can put him in a position to cover.
Roberto Bautista Agut - 6.5 games v Richard Gasquet: There is something disturbing to think Richard Gasquet is now 34 years old as it suddenly dawns on you about how old you are yourself. The Frenchman has had a strong career, but some will suggest he has underachieved having not won a Grand Slam and you do have to believe his best chances of doing that are now behind him.
Even his career best World Ranking of Number 7 feels like it should have been higher, but overall I am sure Gasquet himself is happy with how he has performed. He would have loved to have his home fans inside the Stadium to watch him play in what could be one of the final French Opens of his career, but that is not to be in 2020 and Gasquet's slip down the World Rankings have meant a very tough First Round draw.
Playing a top ten Ranked opponent is never going to be easy, but the match up with Roberto Bautista Agut has simply not been a good one for the Frenchman. A solid all court player, Roberto Bautista Agut may not feel at his best on the clay courts but I do think he will believe that his fitness will make him a player that can cope with the conditions and deal with the longer rallies that are likely to develop.
The Spaniard reached the Quarter Final in Hamburg last week, but he has long been little more than a slightly better than average clay court player. Roberto Bautista Agut has never been overly reliant on his serve, but I do think it will be a part of his game that could be attacked in the conditions in Paris, although I am not convinced that Richard Gasquet will be the player to fully do that.
When these players have met each other, Roberto Bautista Agut has held 89% of the service games played compared with the 70% number Richard Gasquet has produced. They met last month in New York City under the 'Masters' banner and it was Bautista Agut who won in straight sets and largely dominated the match.
All of their previous matches have come on the hard or grass courts though and the slower conditions here in Paris does change the manner of the match somewhat. I do think the fact that Richard Gasquet has not played a clay court match is a potential problem, but he should be very familiar with how cold things can get in Paris in Autumn and so I do think he will have his moments in this match.
Ultimately I do think Gasquet is also not as strong a clay court player as Roberto Baustisa Agut and the head to head suggests he doesn't particularly enjoy playing the Spaniard. I do think the Bautista Agut serve is one that could be vulnerable in the conditions, but he should return well enough to get into a strong position in this match.
Look out for some long, tough rallies, but I think Roberto Bautista Agut will eventually get into some sort of role which helps him cover this number.
Denis Shapovalov - 7.5 games v Gilles Simon: My first reaction to this First Round match is that much is going to depend on the mindset of the young Canadian, especially in what could be difficult conditions for him. The fact that Denis Shapovalov hits the ball pretty flat is important for him, but he has to be aware that Gilles Simon is still a very strong defender, can run all day and will be looking to frustrate Shapovalov into making mistakes.
In the last couple of years Denis Shapovalov has perhaps gotten a little too frustrated when playing on the clay courts and that is the reason his results have been inconsistent.
After reaching the Rome Masters Semi Final earlier this month, Denis Shapovalov did reach the top ten for the first time, although he does go into the tournament as the World Number 11. I would expect a strong run to return him among the elite of the ATP Tour and any performance near the level produced in Italy will make Shapovalov very difficult to beat.
The serve will always be a big weapon for Denis Shapovalov, but it is the return where he has really impressed in the clay court matches played. That return will be key in this match against veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon who has a 1-4 record in the clay court matches that he has played since the end of the US Open.
Conditions won't be a concern for Simon who will be used to playing tennis in France in September, but the slower courts in Paris might make his serve even more vulnerable than it is anyway. Gilles Simon has only held 72% of service games played on the clay courts in the last month, but he is still someone who can defend well and look to extract mistakes from opponents who feel they need to get closer and closer to the line to finally breach the defences.
There are surely going to be moments in this match where those mistakes come from the Canadian's racquet, but Denis Shapovalov will control the tempo of the match. I expect his aggression to win out even in the slower conditions we are seeing in Paris although Gilles Simon is likely going to have his moments.
Even then I think Denis Shapovalov will have a bit too much strength and aggression for Gilles Simon to keep him contained and the younger player can produce a big win when all is said and done.
MY PICKS: Cristian Garin - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Dusan Lajovic - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Roberto Bautista Agut - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Denis Shapovalov - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Pablo Cuevas - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Thiago Monteiro - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Andrej Martin - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Grigor Dimitrov - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Alison Van Uytvanck - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Donna Vekic - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
Elena Rybakina - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sofia Kenin - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sloane Stephens - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
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