French Open 2015: Predictions for Tuesday's Draw Schedule
The 2015 French Open continues on Tuesday as Day 3 of the competition will see defending men's singles champion Rafael Nadal get his title defence underway.
The cream of the tennis crop have already been out in force this week, but as some begin preparations for the next phase of the competition, another wave of stars sit waiting in the wings to have their shot.
We've picked out a selection of the third day's most alluring fixtures complete with analysis and prediction.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
A full breakdown of Tuesday's fixtures can be found on the official Roland Garros website.
Quentin Halys vs. Rafael Nadal
The most successful player in French Open history will begin his quest for a 10th Roland Garros crown on Tuesday, with Quentin Halys the man given the unenvious task of stopping the Spaniard at the first hurdle.
As pointed out by the official Roland Garros Twitter account, Halys has a near-insurmountable challenge in front of him, with 289 places separating him from world No. 7 Nadal:
Halys comes into contact with Nadal having lost twice to James Duckworth in Bordeaux and Nice over the past fortnight, during the round of 32 and round of 16, respectively.
Despite the massive gulf between the pair in ranking, Nadal will be taking nothing for granted, however, as tennis writer Chris Goldsmith notes his precarious placement at present:
One can bet the former world No. 1 will go out to make a statement at one of his most treasured career venues, with 18-year-old Halys unfortunate enough to be the inexperienced youth in his sights.
Bar any divine intervention, we should see Nadal make light work of his first obstacle in an effort to save some stamina for the tests to come down the road.
Prediction: Nadal wins in straight sets.
Serena Williams vs. Andrea Hlavackova
Of all the Grand Slam tournament, Serena Williams has been least successful at the French Open, clinching the tournament trophy just twice, the only two times she's ever made its final.
An elbow injury ensured the younger of the Williams sisters was forced to withdraw from the Rome Masters earlier in May, giving her first-round opponent, Andrea Hlavackova, some hope for an upset.
It was only last year Williams made a shock second-round exit from the French Open when failing to defend her 2013 title, a pressure she's now free of and one that could come to be of major benefit this week.
What's more, the top seed has told the press (h/t CNN's Gary Morley) that she's ready to do battle again after recovering from the aforementioned elbow trouble:
"The elbow is much, much better. I was worried about it, but lately I have been getting some really good treatment that has been able to alleviate it and make the symptoms go down substantially. So I feel a lot better going forward in the tournament and just getting through it. The good thing is that every day, it's getting better. I'm just starting to serve harder, so I'm like, 'Yes.'
"
It would serve as bad news for Hlavackova, who sits 190th in the world ranking and having failed to make it past the round of 16 in any of her last three tournaments.
Williams, on the other hand, is seeking a 20th Grand Slam singles title and isn't long after claiming victory over Carla Suarez-Navarro in Miami, now looking to live up to her No. 1 billing once more.
Prediction: Williams to win in straight sets.
Lukas Lacko vs. David Ferrer
The French Open remains the only Grand Slam tournament in which David Ferrer has ever managed to muster a final appearance, finishing as runner-up to countryman Nadal in 2013.
The Spaniard meets Lukas Lacko at the first hurdle of his 2015 Roland Garros campaign, but as Christopher Clarey of the New York Times shows, it isn't for lack of dedication that Ferrer hasn't been a more prominent player:
A semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in Rome's ATP World Tour Masters earlier this month will have undoubtedly put Ferrer in good stead for another gritty run in France this week.
That being said, Slovakian Lacko has been on a promising run of his own in Asia lately and bowed out at the hands of Hyeon Chung in the final of the Busan Open at the beginning of May.
All things considered, Ferrer's taste of experience on this sort of elite circuit should win through, but Lacko is likely to bring an interesting spice of competition to the fore.
Prediction: Ferrer wins in four sets.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
