For Friday’s 3rd Round at Roland Garros, Abrams picks Nadal v Goffin, Federer v Ruud, Tsitsipas v Krajinovic, Moutet v Londero, and more
French Open
Stade Roland Garros
Paris, France
Friday, May 31, 2019
Men’s Third Round Picks
Rafa Nadal over David Goffin
I’d say that it looks like Rafa has gotten his Mojo back, wouldn’t you? I’ll admit that he’s had a cakewalk of a draw through at least the first two rounds, but I doubt David Goffin will fare much better than the two Yannick French qualifiers. Goffin, for his part, hasn’t lost a set yet, but that never matters, especially when facing Rafa on clay. Nadal will play this weekend.
Stefanos Tsitsipas over Filip Krajinovic
While Stefanos Tsitsipas has dropped one set in two matches, Filip Krajinovic is recovering from two straight five set encounters, the second of which went 8-6 in the fifth. These guys are all terrific athletes, but Krajinovic simply doesn’t have enough in his tank to threaten Tsitsipas. The 6th seed will move on.
Roger Federer over Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud is putting together an awfully impressive 2019, and his two straight set wins in the French Open do nothing to change the upward trajectory of his career. After all, the Norwegian son of former ATP pro Christian Ruud is only 20-years-old. But his roll will end with this matchup against Roger Federer. It’s not that Rudd can’t play. It’s just that he can’t play as well as Fed.
Stan Wawrinka over Grigor Dimitrov
This stands to be the best match of the day, as each of these two players are particularly accomplished, yet each needs this match very, very badly. Dimitrov had a particularly compelling five set win over Marin Cilic in the second round, after an initial five set conquering of Janko Tipsarevic in Round One, while Wawrinka impressively beat Cristian Garin, giving up just five games in three sets. It’s hard to say who’s playing better at this point, but my guess is that Wawrinka will be fresher, and I think that matters.
Benoit Paire over Pablo Carreno Busta
I rarely feel comfortable picking Benoit Paire to win matches because I’ve seen him at his worst, but I have to admit that he’s playing terrific tennis, and he has a 6-3 career record over Carreno Busta. Maybe this is his shot to rile up his compatriots at Stade Roland Garros.
Kei Nishikori over Laslo Djere
I’m going to guess that this match will go the distance, but that Nishikori will overcome Djere at the end. These two play similar games, and each are particularly effective at tracking down balls others might not reach. But Nishikori has his two-handed backhand down-the-line, which is not only his best weapon, but one of the single best shots on the ATP Tour. And Djere doesn’t possess it.
Corentin Moutet over Juan Ignacio Londero
Corentin Moutet looks like the future of French Men’s tennis. He just turned 20 years old, but he showed the game of a mature, experienced pro in beating Argentina’s Guido Pella, himself a rising star, in four conclusive sets in the Second Round. Londero has had a good week himself, beating both 15th seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets, and aging French star Richard Gasquet, in four. But something tells me that this is the coming out party for Moutet. He either books a Round-of-16 match-up with Nadal, or he becomes the odds-on favorite to lead the French Brigade into the 2020 French Open.