French Open 2024 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Gael Monfils vs Thiago Seyboth Wild
Day 2 of French Open 2024 will have some exciting first-round clashes, most notably the highly anticipated blockbuster clash between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev. Second seed Jannik Sinner starts his campaign against Christopher Eubanks, while fifth seed Daniil Medvedev will face Dominik Koepfer.
The 2021 runner-up and ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas plays his opening-round fixture as well, against Marton Fucsovics. The likes of Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov and Lorenzo Musetti will also be in action.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions of some of the matches on Day 2 of the French Open.
#1 Gael Monfils vs Thiago Seyboth Wild
Gael Monfils starts his French Open 2024 campaign against Thiago Seyboth Wild. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Frenchman winning their last encounter 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Lyon Open in 2021.
Seyboth Wild comes off a second-round exit at the Lyon Open after retiring due to an injury, while Monfils withdrew from the ATP 250 event.
Monfils has won 12 of 24 matches this season, reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Open and the fourth round at Indian Wells. Seyboth Wild, meanwhile, has won 12 of 26 matches, with his best performance being the quarterfinals of the Rio Open.
Seyboth Wild reached the fourth round of the French Open in 2023 and should not be written off. However, Monfils has had a few promising performances this season and will have the crowd's support. So, there's a very good chance of him coming out on top.
Predicted Winner: Gael Monfils
#2 Karen Khachanov vs Sumit Nagal
Eighteenth seed Karen Khachanov faces Sumit Nagal in the first round of the French Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Khachanov comes off a fourth-round exit at the Italian Open, while Nagal's most recent outing on court was an opening-round defeat to Sebastian Baez at the Geneva Open.
The Russian has won 19 of 28 matches this season, winning the Qatar Open. Nagal, meanwhile, has only won three of nine main-draw fixtures.
The Indian gave Holger Rune a run for his money at the Monte-Carlo Masters and beat a seeded player at the Australian Open. However, Khachanov seems the superior player of the two. Even thought he might not have a cakewalk, he should get the win and reach the second round.
Predicted Winner: Karen Khachanov
#3 Lorenzo Musetti vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Thirteeth seed Lorenzo Musetti faces Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round of the French Open. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Italian winning their previous encounter 6-3, 6-0 in Naples in 2022.
Both players have had disappointing 2024 seasons, with Musetti winning nine of 23 matches, while Galan has come out on top in just four of 18 fixtures.
While both players are capable of producing impressive performances on clay, Musetti has had a relatively better run of form and should triumph to reach the second round of the French Open.
Predicted Winner: Lorenzo Musetti
#4 Francisco Cerundolo vs Yannick Hanfmann
Twenty-third seed Francisco Cerundolo locks horns with Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round of the French Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with the Argentine leading 2-1 in their head-to-head between.
Both players had disappointing runs in their last tournaments, with Cerundolo losing in the opening round of the Lyon Open, while Hanfmann exited the Geneva Open in the second round, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Cerundolo has won 13 of 28 matches in 2024, while Hanfmann has triumphed in 10 of 24. The Argentine has had some good performances on clay this season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open and the semifinals of the Rio Open. He will enter the match as the favorite and should not have much trouble in beating Hanfmann.