Tennis | Roland Garros 2024 | Casper Ruud's Grand Slam title credentials face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in second round showdown

05/29/2024 12:12 PM

By Tony Fairbairn

• Casper Ruud [7] v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
• Victoria Azarenka [19] v Mirra Andreeva
• Lorenzo Musetti [32] v Gael Monfils

PARIS, FRANCE – Casper Ruud's Grand Slam title credentials will go through a severe test as he takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of Roland Garros.

Casper Ruud [7] v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina H2H & Match Fundamentals

In this open men's tournament, a name that hasn't been mentioned too often about winning the title at Roland Garros is Casper Ruud. The Norwegian has featured in the last two finals at Roland Garros and enters the tournament in Paris in good form having won the ATP 500 event in Barcelona in April and then last week claimed the title in Geneva. However when it comes to the big events Ruud simply hasn't been able to deliver and the seventh seed will look to put that right as he may never get a better chance at winning a first Grand Slam title.

A big test awaits Ruud in the second round in the form of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Spaniard enters Roland Garros in poor form having only won two matches throughout the entire clay court season with one of those matches being his opening round win in Paris against Valentin Vacherot. However the 24 year-old has the athleticism, pace and variety to beat anyone on this surface and the Spaniard will be hoping a big win at Roland Garros can give him the confidence to achieve bigger things this season.

Ruud will create depth from the backhand as he aims to use angles to limit the Spaniard's options as well as extending the rallies. Meanwhile, Davidovich Fokina will need to be aggressive from the start of the match as he aims to be consistent from the baseline as he looks to take time away from Ruud's forehand. The duo met at Roland Garros three years ago where Davidovich Fokina prevailed in a five set epic and although this could go five sets again, Ruud's recent confidence should mean he earns Parisian revenge this time around.

Prediction: Ruud in five sets.    

Victoria Azarenka [19] v Mirra Andreeva H2H & Match Fundamentals

It was a statement victory for Victoria Azarenka as she thrashed former semi-finalist Nadia Podoroska. The former Australian Open champion hasn't always delivered at Roland Garros but now that seems to be changing after some convincing performances in recent weeks as she is playing with more aggression on serve. Now at 34 year of age, Azarenka is hoping to prove she can still be considered a threat to anyone in the draw as she looks for a place in the third round.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is 17 year-old Mirra Andreeva who will be Azarenka's next opponent. Last year Andreeva took everyone's attention by reaching the second week as a qualifier and has grown since then as she sits at 38 in the rankings. There are no signs of Andreeva's unique and varied game slowing down as she enters Roland Garros having reached the quarter-finals in Madrid. Now Andreeva looks to add another big name to her list of victims as she continues to make an impact in tennis.

Azarenka will aim to dictate on return using her backhand as she will look to use depth to pin Andreeva behind the baseline and force the shorter ball. Meanwhile Andreeva will use her variety and slice to extract errors from Azarenka as she looks to test Azarenka's stamina by making the 19^th seed move from side to side. This will be a high-quality affair but on this occasion youth may just overcome experience.

Prediction: Andreeva in three sets.  

Lorenzo Musetti [32] v Gael Monfils H2H & Match Fundamentals

On his day Lorenzo Musetti can be one of the most dangerous clay court players in the world. However the Italian has been rather disappointing in this clay court swing having produced too many unforced errors and lacking consistency especially on serve. Now Musetti will look to change that as he aims for a deep run at Roland Garros, therefore building confidence for the rest of the year.

A highly motivated Gael Monfils awaits Musetti next as the Frenchman prepares for potentially his last Roland Garros campaign. Monfils may not be able to play on the tour consistently due to lack of consistent conditioning but the Frenchman still is an entertaining player to watch who can produce results on a consistent basis. Monfils will now look to produce one last big result in front of his home crowd as he will still believe he can produce more memorable results at Roland Garros.

Musetti will aim to set up play on his backhand as he will aim to fire winners consistently as he will need to serve aggressively. Meanwhile Monfils will aim to use the forehand to make Musetti play the high-risk shots, forcing the Italian into erratic. Musetti's lack of confidence suggests that a memorable Monfils match at Roland Garros is likely although this could go all the way.

Prediction: Monfils in four sets.

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