First-round motion on the French Open continues on Monday, when Jannik Sinner and Gael Monfils are taking the courtroom. They’re dealing with respective showdowns with Chris Eubanks and Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Listed here are my previews and picks for 2 of Monday’s greatest matchups.Chris Eubanks vs. (2) Jannik SinnerWhen wholesome, Sinner has been the very best participant on the ATP Tour courting again to final fall. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old Italian heads into Paris as a query mark as a consequence of a hip damage. He performed in two clay-court occasions previous to Roland Garros and fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas within the semis of the Monte-Carlos earlier than withdrawing from Madrid previous to the quarterfinals.
On the heels of his Madrid exit, there have been studies by Italian media that Sinner would pull out of the French Open. Quick ahead per week and that now not is the case, because the world No. 2 is reportedly prepared for his first-round match in opposition to Eubanks on Monday. Sinner gained their solely earlier encounter in straight units on the U.S. Open two years in the past. If the second seed is near one hundred pc, there isn’t a motive to anticipate something totally different on this one. Eubanks was superior on grass final summer time, however he has cooled off in a serious approach since then and clay is the American’s worst floor.
Choose: Sinner in 3Gael Monfils vs. Thiago Seyboth WildMonfils and Seyboth Wild shall be squaring off for the second time of their careers. Their solely earlier assembly got here on the clay courts of Lyon in 2022, when Monfils scored a 7-5, 6-4 victory. Each gamers made it to the Roland Garros second spherical final season–and so they did so in memorable vogue. The Frenchman got here again from 0-4, 30-40 down within the fifth set to outlast Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5, whereas Seyboth Wild shocked Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
One other thriller ought to be anticipated–one wherein I’m giving Monfils a slight edge. One, he’s taking part in at residence; that may by no means be underestimated at Roland Garros, the place the gang is raucous. Two, he’s nonetheless taking part in fairly properly at 37 years previous (ranked thirty seventh on the planet). Furthermore, Seyboth Wild is simply 12-14 for his 2024 marketing campaign and an particularly poor 8-9 on clay. Search for Monfils to deal with the house followers to not less than yet another win in Paris.
Choose: Monfils in 5Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
