French Open Schedule 2013: Day 3 Matchups, Predictions and Analysis
May 28, 2013
After a spectacular first two days of tennis at Roland Garros, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic begins his quest for his first French Open title on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Serb, who has gone 28-4 with three singles titles this year, is hoping to defy history and become only the second man in the last nine years to win the French Open beyond Rafael Nadal.
But Djokovic isn't the only top player in action on Tuesday. The world No. 3 on the women's side is also gearing up to win her first French Open title.
Here's a look at the Day 3 schedule, complete with predictions for the top matches (seedings in parentheses).
Where: Stade Roland Garros in Paris
When: Tuesday, May 28
Watch: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel
Live Stream: ESPN3.com
Schedule for Day 3
Date | Time (ET) | Round | TV |
Tuesday, May 28 | 5 a.m.-10 a.m. | First Round | ESPN2 |
Tuesday, May 28 | 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | First Round | Tennis |
Predictions for Tuesday's Top Matches
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. David Goffin
After falling to Tomas Berdych for just the second time in 15 career matches at the Rome Masters, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic looks to get back on track against 22-year-old David Goffin.
By all indications, this should be a relatively easy first-round match for Djokovic. Goffin is 7-14 this season. Goffin's best win this year was against No. 19 Philipp Kohlschreiber, but he's gone 2-6 in his last eight matches since then.
But don't think Djokovic is taking Goffin lightly.
Live Tennis tweeted on Saturday:
Prediction: Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Victoria Azarenka (3) vs. Elena Vesnina
Victoria Azarenka is not only 22-2 with two singles titles this year, she's 4-0 lifetime against Elena Vesnina. That includes a dominant straight-set victory over the 26-year-old at the Australian Open this year.
On the other hand, Vesnina isn't a slouch, either. She's 17-11 this year, including a title in Hobart. She defeated three top-10 seeds in Hobart.
Azarenka has reached the quarterfinals of the French Open twice before, but she has never advanced past that round. The 23-year-old was knocked out of the 2012 French Open in the fourth round.
Prediction: Azarenka 6-2, 6-1
Janko Tipsarevic (8) vs. Nicolas Mahut
Janko Tipsarevic may be the No. 8 seed in the tournament, but he's 0-2 lifetime against Nicolas Mahut. Tipsarevic also has had a disappointing start to the season, going 11-11. He's lost to Guido Pella, Juan Monaco, Daniel Brands, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Grigor Dimitrov in his last five tournaments.
On the other hand, the last time the two faced each other was in 2009, and Mahut hasn't played a singles match on the ATP Tour this season.
This is a tough match to predict because Tipsarevic has struggled this year and Mahut hasn't shown anything (literally). But I'm going to have faith in Tipsarevic's natural talent edging Mahut. He didn't go 57-28 last year on accident.
Prediction: Tipsarevic 4-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
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