French Open: Five First Round matches to watch

The start of each Grand Slam brings about several possibilities – some old, some new. And for every tennis fan already counting down to a semi-final showdown between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Paris, there’s another who is as eagerly looking forward to first round matches, which always tend to bring about some exciting match-ups. The 2013 French Open is no exception and here’s our pick of must-watch first round clashes.

Tomas Berdych (5) vs. Gael Monfils

H2H: Berdych leads 3-0

World no. 5 Berdych is the dark-horse pick for many this year. That says as much about his potential as it does about the lack of serious challengers to the Big Three (Djokovic-Nadal-Federer) in Paris. Berdych comes into Paris on the back of a pretty good first five months of the year. The Czech reached the quarters in Melbourne, the finals in Marseille and Dubai, the semis and quarters in the Indian Wells-Miami double, and back-to-back semis in Madrid and Rome. But the draw gods have not been kind to him. Even though Berdych has lost only one set to Monfils in three career meetings, the Frenchman is coming into Paris with some serious confidence. The former world no. 7 missed several months due to a knee injury that also kept him out of Paris last year. Since coming back at the end of last year, Monfils has struggled and gone 4-7 since the Australian Open, seeing his ranking drop out of the top 100 and necessitating a wild card from the organizers in Paris. But as we write this, Monfils is on a nine-match winning streak. The Frenchman won a challenger in Bordeaux last week and is through to the finals of the ATP Nice Open this week. Berdych is going to blast the ball from the back of the court; Monfils can match him there and also slow down the pace of the game. With the highly partisan French crowd backing him, Monfils could throw in a big upset here. Whichever way the result goes, this match between the two former semi-finalists is sure to be an entertainer.

Prediction – Monfils to win in 5 sets

Gilles Simon vs. Lleyton Hewitt

H2H: Simon leads 3-0

Two baseline counterpunchers, one of them a local favourite and the other a former world no. 1. This match between 15th seed Gilles Simon and Lleyton Hewitt will hopefully not go in the same manner as their previous encounters (Hewitt has not won more than 3 games in the six sets they have played as professionals). Simon has been playing top 20 tennis all year and besides a first round loss in Monte Carlo, he has reached at least the last 16 in all his other tournaments. On the other hand, Hewitt is more of a part-time player these days – caught in that same time warp that has also engulfed Venus Williams – former champions whose mind and heart are willing them on but whose bodies are bailing on them. Simon should win this but if it goes down to the wire, the experienced Hewitt could be dangerous.

Prediction – Simon wins in four sets

Benoit Paire (24) vs Marcos Baghdatis

H2H- Baghdatis leads 1-0

France’s Paire and Cyprus’ Baghdatis belong to the same group of tennis players – the group where one can play breath-taking tennis and head-scratching tennis all within the same match – which should make this first round encounter fun to see. Paire is 24 years old and has been on the rise in the last few years. He is known for his flamboyant game – big serve, big groundies and an uncanny ability to drop-shot his opponent (not always at the best time). And Stanislas Wawrinka’s best friend also has an infamous temper. Paire was kicked out of the French Federation team a few years ago due to his volatile temper and even had an altercation with countryman Michael Llodra a few weeks ago on court. Baghdatis has calmed down after marriage and becoming a father – but that may have also taken off some of his edge. The Cypriot has hired Zjelko Krajan, the former coach of Dinara Safina and Laura Robson who is known for being a hard task master, in a bid to get more committed to his game and squeeze the most out of his last few years on the circuit. Baghdatis is in a serious slump – having lost seven matches in a row on the ATP tour, dating back to February (though he did win one match in Davis Cup in the midst of this losing streak), while Paire is at a career-high ranking of no. 26 after reaching his first Masters semi-final in Rome. This match between the two showmen deserves a showcourt but there can be only one winner.

Prediction – Paire in five sets

(2) Roger Federer vs. Pablo-Carreno-Busta

H2H – First Meeting

It’s not often that a first round match between a 17-time Grand Slam champion and a qualifier would attract much attention. But that’s exactly what we have in Paris as second seed Roger Federer takes on 21-year-old Spaniard Pablo Carrena-Busta. And the curiosity over the Spaniard is understandable. In January this year, Carreno-Busta was ranked no. 654 before he went on a tear and won 7 successive ITF Futures titles in Spain, winning 35 straight matches in the process. And the Spaniard has proved he is ready to graduate to the ATP circuit. He qualified and won a round in Casablanca, won a round in Barcelona, and qualified and reached the semis in Portugal. All those wins have seen him rise to no. 166 in the world. And with three matches under his belt in the qualifying draw, Carreno-Busta could give Federer a tough time. The Swiss maestro is vulnerable on clay more than any other surface and, until Rome, had not reached the finals in any tour event. Still, Federer should have too much game and experience for the youngster.

Prediction – Federer in a tough straight setter

Milos Raonic (14) vs. Xavier Malisse

H2H tied at 1-1

Milos Raonic’s big serve and powerful game do not naturally adapt itself to clay. And although he has worked with Spain’s Galo Blanco for a couple of years, it’s still more probable that Raonic’s breakthrough will come on the hardcourts of Melbourne and New York or on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Malisse is a 32-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist – a player with some of the best groundstrokes in the game. But Malisse, like many others, has not been as gifted in the mental toughness and commitment department. The world no. 54 is only 8-11 this year but has reached the fourth round in Paris on two occasions, the last being in 2004. Raonic is 18-8, highlighted by a semi final in Barcelona but not much else during the clay court stretch. The Canadian will need to play aggressively and keep the points short if he hopes to get into the second round as Malisse will have the upper hand in the longer baseline rallies.

Prediction – Raonic in four sets

First round action begins in Paris on May 26th.