Right then, let’s sink our teeth into proceedings – which are of course already underway, so congrats Elina Svitolina! (damn that Sunday start).
Tournament Predictions
For the men, it is tough to look past Nadal as the Spaniard who has dominated again all clay season, looks a sure bet to continue his astounding record and record an 11th win. But it isn’t an absolute cert, Zverev, Thiem and Goffin to name but three could prove a challenge on the day. Djokovic still has work to do.
Smart money = Nadal, but it might not be such a breeze as his 2018 clay form suggests.
For the women, it is a lot more open. Halep is the favourite for some, and despite racking up a fair few wins – hasn’t clinched a title on clay this year, and that final hurdle still proves too much sometimes.
Instead, if not Halep we should look at Kvitová and Pliskova – and I wouldn’t discount Ostapenko either, but then I find her impossible to predict.
Smart money – Could be Halep, could be Kvitová, could be anyone! Let’s say Muguruza
Day 1 picks
Well right now there is an unlikely battle with Monfils and unfancied 19 year old wildcard Benchetrit – the latter has just taken the first set!
Elsewhere though, Pouille vs Medvedev looks to be a good’un and Cornet vs Errani is a nice old skool match-up with plenty of persona and passion.
Still holding out that myself and my travellers might see Kyrgios vs Tomic on Tuesday when we travel to Paris once again. Live updates throughout the day.
All Things Tennis 