French Open 2018: Wednesday Schedule and Predictions for Roland Garros Bracket
Novak Djokovic will be looking to build on his solid start at the 2018 French Open on Wednesday, as he takes on Jaume Munar in Round 2.
Djokovic, the 2016 champion at Roland Garros, beat Rogerio Dutra Silva on Monday in his opening match, and despite his uncharacteristically low 20th seeding the Serb is the favourite to go through again on Wednesday.
Also in action is second seed Alexander Zverev, who faces Dusan Lajovic, while fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov faces Jared Donaldson. In the women's draw Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki features again, while Elina Svitolina, ranked fourth in Paris is up against Viktoria Kuzmova.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here are the standout matches on Wednesday from the French Open and a closer look at some of the key contests on the Roland Garros clay.
Selected Wednesday Schedule
Men's Draw
(2) Alexander Zverev* vs. Dusan Lajovic
(4) Grigor Dimitrov* vs. Jared Donaldson
(7) Dominic Thiem* vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
(8) David Goffin* vs. Corentin Moutet
(10) Pablo Carreno* vs. Federico Delbonis
(20) Novak Djokovic* vs. Jaume Munar
Women's Draw
(2) Caroline Wozniacki* vs. Georgina Garcia Perez
(4) Elina Svitolina* vs. Viktoria Kuzmova
(8) Petra Kvitova* vs. Lara Arruabarrena
(10) Sloane Stephens* vs. Magdalena Fech
For the schedule in full visit the competition website.
*Denotes predicted winners.
Determined Djokovic Expected to Progress
Given his tribulations over the course of the previous 12 months, all eyes were on Djokovic on Monday to see how he would fare on Monday in his opener.
In the end, the Serbian should've been pleased with his work against Dutra Silva.
Tennis journalist Carole Bouchard picked up on some nerves from the former French Open winner too:
After the contest he told Eurosport that he's still feeling a little jaded out on the Roland Garros clay:
In Round 2 he will be expected to move through the gears again and is the big favourite against Munar. The 21-year-old Spaniard will be confident, though, as he produced a comeback from two sets down to beat compatriot David Ferrer in the first round.
Across the draw in the women's competition more big names will take to the court on Wednesday, including Wozniacki, who will be out to improve on her generally disappointing record in Paris; she's only ever previously reached the quarter-finals.
The Dane finally won her first Grand Slam earlier this year and should take some renewed confidence into the big tournaments as a result. In Round 1, she got better throughout the match against Danielle Collins, winning in straight sets. Expect her to have few issues against Perez next up.
Perhaps the most in-form player in the draw at this stage is Kvitova, who came through a testing first match to beat Veronica Cepede Royg in three sets. WTA Insider summed up how well she's playing and how difficult she is to better over longer matches:
Another player to watch on Wednesday is Svitolina. After her dominant performance in the Italian Open, where she hammered Simona Halep in the final, she continued her good form with a straightforward win in the opening round against Ajla Tomljanovic.
You feel as though Kuzmova will find her tough to stop, as Svitolina is primed for a deep run into this competition.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
