In this unique year, the French Open will begin on the 27th of September, four months later its usual start date.
This is the only Major which begins on a Sunday, with first round singles matches spread across the first three days of the tournament. And extra time may be required to complete matches, with rain in the forecast throughout the next 10 days. Fortunately for players scheduled on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the French Open finally has a retractable roof over its main stadium. And the addition of lights on the other courts will allow matches to extend later into the evening. This will truly be a one-of-a-kind autumn fortnight, with 1,000 fans allowed on Court Philippe-Chatrier only, and the conditions wetter and colder than late-spring in Paris.
Each day for the next 15 days, we’ll go in-depth on the most prominent matches of the day.
Stan Wawrinka (16) vs. Andy Murray (WC)
This is a blockbuster first round matchup between a pair of three-time Major champions. They played an epic, over four-and-a-half-hour semifinal here in 2017, which Wawrinka won in five sets. And neither player has been the same since, as both suffered injuries which they link back to that encounter. Wawrinka had knee surgery two months later, derailing his career for the better part of two years. Murray endured multiple hip surgeries and nearly retired from the sport. This is only Andy’s sixth singles match at a Major in the last three years. In Murray’s second match back in 2018, he upset Wawrinka as a wild card at Eastbourne. They also played an excellent championship match last fall in Antwerp, where Andy won his first tour title since March of 2017. Overall Murray leads their head-to-head 12-8, but Stan has the edge 4-1 on clay. They’ve split six previous meetings at Slams. After playing five matches in the New York bubble, Murray did not partake in a clay court lead-in event. Wawrinka skipped New York and chose instead to play Challenger events on clay, winning a title in Prague. But Stan lost in the opening round of Rome to breakout Italian star Lorenzo Musetti. With little match play in the last few weeks, both veterans should be fully fresh for this battle. On a clay court, the odds are in Wawrinka’s favor. And the slower conditions shouldn’t bother the 2015 champion, who prefers having more time to set up his thumping strikes.
Johanna Konta (9) vs. Coco Gauff
The British No.1 was a semifinalist here a year ago, while the 16-year-old American is making her French Open main draw debut. Gauff secured her first WTA-level clay court win just last week in Rome. That’s actually Coco’s only victory in her last five matches, as her second serve and unforced error woes have subdued her game. In her first round loss to Anastasija Sevastova at the US Open, she hit 13 double faults and 41 unforced errors. By contrast, Konta is one of the WTA’ best servers. At last month’s Western & Southern Open, Jo didn’t drop her serve through her first three matches, until facing eventual champion (and excellent returner) Victoria Azarenka. While the heavier balls in Paris will make Konta’s serve a bit less effective, her vast clay court experience compared to that of Gauff’s makes Jo a strong favorite in their first career meeting.
David Goffin (11) vs. Jannik Sinner
Their first and only clash occurred earlier this year on an indoor hard court in Rotterdam, where the 19-year-old Italian prevailed after two tight sets. Sinner is one of the ATP’s most promising young prospects, and was the champion of last year’s Next Gen Finals. He possesses offensive weaponry that may take him to the top of the game in years to come. However, Jannik is still an unproven commodity in best-of-five at the Majors. He’s only earned one match win at a Slam. And we saw his body fail him after going up two sets against Karen Khachanov earlier this month at the US Open. Sinner won just two total games in third and fourth sets, as he struggled to move about the court. Goffin is the fitter and more experienced player, who has reached the third round in Paris the last five years. The juxtaposition between Sinner’s firepower and Goffin’s speed should make for an entertaining contest, but I like David’s chances to advance.
Anett Kontaveit (17) vs. Caroline Garcia
This is a rematch from just last week in Rome, where Kontaveit prevailed in 6-3, 7-6(1). Overall she is 2-1 against Garcia, with Anett also claiming their other recent clay court meeting. Kontaveit is one of the WTA’s winningest players in this truncated season, with 23 match wins. The 24-year-old Estonian reached a clay final just last month in Palermo. Garcia actually has a losing record on the year, though she played some of her best tennis in a long time in upsetting top-seeded Karolina Pliskova at the US Open. Caroline’s best performance at a Major came here three years ago, when she was a quarterfinalist at her home Slam. But in her last eight Major appearances, Garcia is a disappointing 8-8. Despite showing some signs of regaining her top level, Caroline is the underdog against the in-form and more consistent Kontaveit.
Dan Evans (32) vs. Kei Nishikori
Nishikori is a three-time quarterfinalist in Paris, but this is only Kei’s fifth match since last August, when elbow surgery ended his 2019 early. Nishikori is a meager 1-3 since returning. His opponent today has never won a match at Roland Garros. Evans actually hasn’t earned a main draw win on clay since April of 2017. That includes two losses over the last two weeks, to Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Despite his dreadful record on this surface, the British No.1 reached a career-high ranking earlier this year, coming off a stellar 2019 where he accumulated 55 match wins at all levels. Nishikori is 2-1 against Evans, though they haven’t played in three years, and never on clay. Most notably, Evans upset Nishikori as a qualifier in the opening round of the 2013 US Open. Dan is certainly the more match-tough player, so an extended affair will favor the Brit. But Evans’ lack of confidence on the clay makes it difficult to favor him over a player of Kei’s caliber.
Other Notable Matches on Day 1:
2018 champion Simona Halep (1) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo, a 23-year-old Spaniard who defeated Naomi Osaka on clay earlier this year.
US Open women’s runner-up Victoria Azarenka (10) vs. Danka Kovinic, a 25-year-old from Montenegro who upset Belinda Bencic two weeks ago in Rome.
US Open men’s runner-up Sascha Zverev (6) vs. Dennis Novak, a 27-year-old Austrian. How will Zverev perform just 14 days after the heartbreaking loss of his first Major final to another Austrian in a fifth-set tiebreak?
Rome finalist Diego Schwartzman (12) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic, who won his first ATP title a week ago on the clay of Kitzbuhel.
In her 23rd French Open appearance, 2002 finalist Venus Williams vs. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who defeated Venus at this event six years ago.
Sunday’s full schedule is here.
