Today will see the start of the third round at the French Open. Defending champion Novak Djokovic will be hoping to progress to the last 16 of the tournament for the eighth consecutive year when he faces Argentine talent Diego Schwartzman. Meanwhile, America’s Steve Johnson will be seeking to continue his emotional run in the tournament when he plays Dominic Thiem. In the women’s draw, an intriguing clash looms between former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and rising star Cici Bellis.
These are the five matches to watch on Friday :-
Novak Djokovic – Diego Schwartzman
Defending champion Djokovic will be hoping to continue his solid start to the tournament against world No. 41 Schwartzman. So far he has dropped a total of 17 games in two matches against Marcel Granollers and Joao Sousa. Meanwhile Schwartzman, whose sole ATP title occurred on the clay last year in Istanbul, survived a tough five-set encounter in the first round against Andrey Rublev before storming through his second round match. Djokovic is expected to be tested in the match by the clay-court player, but should still prevail. He also leads their head-to-head 1-0.
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Dimitrov struggled during the clay court season leading into Roland Garros, but has looked sharp through his first two rounds. Meanwhile Carreno Busta has continued to record good results this year, including reaching the semifinals in Indian Wells and taking the clay court title in Estoril. It’s tempting to favor the Spaniard in this one considering the surface and Dimitrov’s recent form, but this could be quite a hurdle for Pablo as he has never been passed the third round at a major. And Dimitrov has won two of three previous meetings.
Dominic Thiem vs. Steve Johnson
How can you not be touched and inspired by Johnson’s performance this week in Paris? After his father’s sudden passing just a few weeks ago, Johnson has played two very tough and emotional matches to reach the third round. After defeating Borna Coric in a nearly four-hour match on Wednesday, Johnson crumbled to the court in tears, and struggled to get words out during the post-match interview. But this will be a big step up in competition, as Thiem has been the second best player on clay this year. Thiem will likely have too many weapons for Johnson to overcome on the red clay, as he’s able to hit so big off both sides.
Lucas Pouille vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas
This could be a really good battle between two Top 20 players in a rematch from the Monte Carlo semifinals, where the Spaniard defeated the Frenchman in three sets to reach his first Masters 1,000 final. While Pouille is ranked slightly higher, Ramos-Vinolas is the stronger clay courter, and reached the quarterfinals at last year’s French Open. Pouille should look to use the energy of the home crowd against the left-hander in what could easily become a four or five set contest.
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Cici Bellis
After upsetting last year’s semifinalist Kiki Bertens in her last match, Bellis could be primed for another upset against the Danish veteran. The 18-year-old American turned pro less than a year ago and is already ranked within the Top 50. While Wozniacki did not drop a game in her second round match, clay is not her best surface. This is a great opportunity for both women to advance to the second week of the tournament in a wide-open women’s draw.
