On the 6th April 2014, the Undertaker's winning streak at Wrestlemania was ended by Brock Lesnar.
I could understand how he may have felt after seeing the very strong winning run to open the French Open ended when Andrey Rublev failed to cover in his Second Round win, despite winning the first set 6-1.
Fun aside, it was never going to be a tournament when every selection was going to return a winner, but putting another positive day on the board is not a bad thing.
Continuing to build on the early numbers is the key and this remains very early at the French Open.
Thursday looks a tougher day, but there are a number of selections that made appeal, which can be read below.
Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 sets v Matteo Arnaldi: A retirement helped Stefanos Tsitsipas through to the Second Round without being pushed in the soaring Paris heat and he could make use of that to beat Matteo Arnaldi at the French Open for a second time in three years.
Two years ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas came through a couple of awkward sets before pulling away from the Italian in a Fourth Round match here in Paris.
While he is still the higher Ranked player in 2026, both players have slipped considerably from where they stood when facing off in that Fourth Round match in 2024.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was a top ten Ranked player, while Matteo Arnaldi was the World Number 35 and only just outside of the Seeded positions... Now they are the World Number 79 and 104 respectively and both players are in need of a big run to just rebuild their position and restore some lost confidence.
In the build up to the French Open, neither player impressed- Matteo Arnaldi did win a decent Challenger event that had a number of quality players in the field, but he has struggled in main Tour matches, while the same can be said for Stefanos Tsitsipas and the underlying numbers back that up for both players.
Matteo Arnaldi did take a set from Rafael Jodar in Rome, but he was the weaker player on the day and you cannot ignore the fact he spent over four hours on the court for his First Round upset of Tallon Griekspoor.
He will take huge encouragement from the performance, but in sapping heat, that time on the court could be the difference if Stefanos Tsitsipas can offer little to his opponent.
The former World Number 3 has struggled to turn the screw on opponents on the clay courts, which should be the favoured surface for Stefanos Tsitsipas, but he may have just enough to edge through in four sets.
Flavio Cobolli - 5.5 games v Yibing Wu: After making short work of his compatriot in the First Round, Flavio Cobolli is hoping to make use of his Number 10 Seeding and push for his best run at the French Open.
Flavio Cobolli reached the First Round in his first appearance in the main draw at the French Open and has followed up with a Second Round and then Third Round run at this Grand Slam event. Last year he reached the Wimbledon Quarter Final, which came as a surprise, but the minimum expectation here in Paris is making it through to the second week.
In reality, the draw could not have worked out much better for Flavio Cobolli, but the Italian had struggled for consistency in the build up to the French Open. Early losses in Rome and Hamburg will have felt like a blow, but Flavio Cobolli is a very comfortable performer on the clay and had previously reached the Final in Munich and Quarter Final in Madrid.
There is room for improvement- Flavio Cobolli has struggled on his return and that cannot continue if the World Number 14 is going to have the kind of run he expects from himself.
This French Open Second Round sees Cobolli facing Yibing Wu, who also came through in straight sets in the First Round, but who is a player that has struggled on the clay courts before this season.
Injuries have been a main factor in the career of Yibing Wu and it is the reason he is clinging onto a top 100 Ranking, although the win over Marcos Giron earlier this week is a boost.
Yibing Wu won a clay court tournament held in Sarasota, but that was at a much lower level than the kind of opponent he is facing in the Second Round at Roland Garros. Since then, Yibing Wu failed to Qualify for Madrid and reached a Quarter Final at another Challenger event, while his career has not been one to write home about when it comes to clay court tennis.
Serving well will give Yibing Wu a chance, especially when you consider the inconsistent returning performances of Flavio Cobolli this season, but the latter has to have the edge.
It could be a competitive match throughout with little between them in the sets, but you have to give the Seeded player the edge with the Cobolli experience on the clay courts an important factor. Flavio Cobolli will also believe he is the superior server and that may just put enough pressure on Yibing Wu to give up enough Break Points to give the former an opportunity to progress with a cover of this spread.
Anna Kalinskaya - 4.5 games v Alina Korneeva: There are almost ten years between these two compatriots who meet in the French Open Second Round and it is Anna Kalinskaya, the 27 year old, who will enter the match as the Seeded player.
However, there is a huge amount of hope around 18 year old Alina Korneeva, who played against Mirra Andreeva in the Junior ranks, although Korneeva has yet to make the same kind of impact on the main Tour.
In 2023, it was Alina Korneeva who won the Girl's titles at the Australian Open and French Open and she was the Junior World Number 1. The win in Australia came against Mirra Andreeva, but the progress on the Tour has been slower and there have been a number of 'firsts' achieved by Alina Korneeva over the last month.
She played in the main draw at a WTA 1000 event for the first time and Alina Korneeva has won three Qualifiers to take her place in the French Open main draw for the first time. A win in the First Round has only given 'mini Sharapova' a real boost in confidence, although Alina Korneeva and her team will know that this is a stiffer test for the youngster.
Alina Korneeva has dropped a single set in her run at Roland Garros and winning the Junior title on these courts can only give the teenager belief in her tennis. There has not been a lot of experience of facing top 100 Ranked opponents on the clay in the build up to this Grand Slam, but Korneeva upset the World Number 38 in the First Round.
You have to believe that Anna Kalinskaya will know plenty about the young Russian players making their way on the Tour and the same applies with Alina Korneeva.
While earning a Seed in the main draw, Anna Kalinskaya has been a mixed bag on the clay courts this season and her opening Round win against Lois Boisson, a Semi Finalist last year, will have done her the world of good. Anna Kalinskaya will feel her own experiences will stand her in good stead, while the serving edge has to be with the older player who may be able to earn a few more cheaper points.
That is welcome on any day, but it could be hugely important in very hot conditions at the French Open and Anna Kalinskaya has produced some solid clay court wins in Charleston and Rome in the lead up to the French Open.
Out of all the defeats suffered, the early defeat in Madrid probably stings Kalinskaya the most, but she may be able to wear down Alina Korneeva in this one.
A competitive opening set would surprise no one, but at that stage, Anna Kalinskaya should take control against a player still learning her trade at this level.
Covering will not be easy, but in five wins on the clay courts this season, Anna Kalinskaya would have covered this mark four times and she can in a victory in the Second Round.
Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Julia Grabher: Reaching the Final at Wimbledon and the US Open is obviously going to give any player a huge amount of confidence, but that also brings pressure and Amanda Anisimova has a lot of Ranking Points to defend in the second half of the season. That makes her recent injury a blow, but the World Number 6 feels like the wrist is about as healthy as it can be and Amanda Anisimova blew past her First Round opponent for the loss of four games.
Missing the entirety of the clay court season is far from ideal for a player who reached the Semi Final in Paris back in 2019, but Amanda Anisimova eased concerns about the injury and admitted that she was just being cautious to ensure she could compete at the French Open.
The early stages of the First Round win did see Amanda Anisimova struggle to find her feet, but she was rolling by the end of the contest and now faces another player Ranked outside of the top 100 in the Second Round on Thursday.
The 29 year old Julia Grabher is the World Number 121 and she is almost three years removed from her best ever career mark of just outside the top 50, which was set in June 2023.
Beating a Qualifier in the First Round will have given Julia Grabher some important Ranking Points, but it should be noted that she has only played two top 100 Ranked opponents this season the clay courts and lost both. In reality, Grabher was not very competitive in either of those defeats in Linz and Madrid and that has been the case in recent seasons on this surface as she has suffered nine losses in her last eleven clay court matches against top 100 Ranked opponents.
Those have come across a three year period and Julia Grabher is going to need to serve well to contain an aggressive Amanda Anisimova who will want to get on top of rallies.
Pressure is likely to be ramped up if Julia Grabher cannot improve her returning level against the better players on the Tour and this could be a French Open Second Round match that plays out very similarly for Amanda Anisimova as the First Round match did.
Namely that means it could be competitive early as Amanda Anisimova grows into the contest, but by the end the American should be clearly demonstrating she is the better player.
Amanda Anisimova has little in terms of clay court action this season, but she was very good last year and the opening Round win should give her the confidence to cover in the Second Round against another opponent Anisimova has the power to overwhelm.
MY PICKS: Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Flavio Cobolli - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Anna Kalinskaya - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Daria Kasatkina - 5.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet365 (2 Units)
Oleksandra Oliynykova - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
French Open Update: 10-2, + 12.06 Units (24 Units Staked, + 50.25% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment