The weather in Paris had been pretty good in the week leading up to the French Open, but wet conditions are expected on Monday and it could mean a number of matches have to pushed over until Tuesday when the First Round is expected to be completed.
It feels like it is going to be the worst day of the tournament in terms of the weather conditions, but you can see the selections from the matches scheduled for the day below.
After a mixed start to the tournament, I am looking for much stronger results all around.
Stan Wawrinka - 1.5 sets v Corentin Moutet: Injury has forced Stan Wawrinka to undergo some serious rehabilitation and he has spent a considerable amount of time away from the Tour. For some players, those injuries may have been too much to deal with at 37 years old, but the former multiple time Grand Slam Champion still believes there is something left in the tank and has been playing in a number of clay court events in the build to the French Open.
Unsurprisingly, Stan Wawrinka struggled early with his timing and rhythm not quite in sync, while match rustiness meant he was always going to have some difficulty in dealing with the pivotal moments within matches.
After losing his opening match in a Challenger tournament played in Marbella and at the Monte Carlo Masters, Stan Wawrinka did win a couple of matches at the Rome Masters before losing to eventual Champion Novak Djokovic. Those wins over Reilly Opelka and Laslo Djere will have given the Swiss player a huge amount of confidence, especially as Stan Wawrinka needed three sets to win both of those matches and has shown he can come through potentially long and gruelling matches.
He is going to have to deal with the crowd getting behind his opponent as Frenchman Corentin Moutet stands across the net from Wawrinka in the First Round in Paris.
Like Stan Wawrinka, Corentin Moutet has been dealing with injury and the left hander has dropped outside the top 100 in the World Rankings, while a 1-2 record on the clay courts in 2022 is not very encouraging. All three matches have been against players lower down the World Rankings, while Corentin Moutet also lost his last five matches on the clay courts in 2021.
I do think Corentin Moutet may be the more consistent return player of the two, but the Frenchman also has a much more vulnerable serve. With little match practice behind him, Corentin Moutet looks like he could struggle to stay with Stan Wawrinka in this First Round match at Roland Garros and I think the former French Open Champion can win this one in three or four sets.
Richard Gasquet - 1.5 sets v Lloyd Harris: There are a number of veterans scattered through the French Open draw who have had their better days behind them, but I do think Richard Gasquet can do enough to move past Lloyd Harris in his home Grand Slam
In preparing for the latest French Open in his career, Richard Gasquet reached the Semi Final in Geneva last week and he has also managed to progress to the Quarter Final in another couple of clay court tournaments. This is the latter stages of his career and that has led to Gasquet having some disappointing results mixed in too with the consistency not what it once was, but early losses in the last couple of French Open appearances are largely down to the poor draws he has been handed.
Richard Gasquet has not been at his best on the clay courts this season, but he has shown his veteran ability to play the big points efficiently and put some wins together. The serve is not as potent as it once was, but the Frenchman is returning pretty well and will need all of that to beat Lloyd Harris.
The South African has long shown a dislike to playing on the red dirt and the results in 2021 have not been impressive either.
Lloyd Harris has really struggled with his return of serve and having the patience to build his way into rallies and find the openings, but the serve can be a dangerous weapon when at his best. However, I do think the pressure that is built up by his poor returning numbers has caught with Lloyd Harris on the clay courts, while he has lost his last four matches on the surface ahead of the opening match at the French Open.
The sole previous match between these players came on a hard court and was won by Richard Gasquet- it was back in February 2020 before the pandemic and I do think Gasquet has slipped from that time, although the win over Harris came on a surface that the latter enjoys much more than the clay courts.
With the home crowd behind him to inspire and help push through the difficult moments, I think Richard Gasquet wins this one in three or four sets.
MY PICKS: Stan Wawrinka - 1.5 Sets @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Reilly Opelka - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Brandon Nakashima @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Alex Molcan - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Arthur Rinderknech - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Amanda Anisimova - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Emma Raducanu - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Angelique Kerber - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
French Open Update: 7-7, - 1.68 Units (28 Units Staked, - 6% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment