Tennis | Roland Garros 2024 | Iga Swiatek faces second round obstacle against Naomi Osaka

05/28/2024 01:17 PM

By Tony Fairbairn

• Iga Swiatek [1] v Naomi Osaka
• Jannik Sinner [2] v Richard Gasquet [WC]
• Caroline Garcia [21] v Sofia Kenin

PARIS, FRANCE – Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka will clash in a blockbuster second round clash at Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek [1] v Naomi Osaka H2H & Match Fundamentals

World number one Iga Swiatek solidified herself as the overwhelming favourite for the Roland Garros title by only dropping three games against qualifier Leolia Jeanjean. Swiatek is bidding to win her third consecutive Roland Garros title as she looks to complete the clay court trio of big titles after winning Madrid and Rome. The world number one will know complacency is not allowed at big tournaments and Swiatek will aim to keep concentrated and consistent ahead of a big fortnight.

The Pole's first big obstacle awaits in round two as she takes on former world number one Naomi Osaka. It was a bumpy opening round win for Osaka as she stumbled across the finishing line against Italian Lucia Bronzetti. However a big opportunity awaits Osaka who will now play the best clay court player of her generation and one of her good friends in what is her 11^th tournament since her comeback. A highly motivated Osaka will aim to find confidence in her game as she looks for a platform to build on for the rest of the year.

Swiatek will use the forehand to dictate play as she will play the ball into a mixture of areas as she looks to force errors from Osaka's game. Osaka will need to start well as she aims to serve aggressively, neutralizing the return of Swiatek and dictating play from the baseline. Osaka will play well in moments but will not have enough consistency to trouble the defending champion.

Prediction: Swiatek in straight sets.   

Jannik Sinner [2] v Richard Gasquet [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals

It wasn't a convincing performance but Jannik Sinner is back on a tennis court and back to winning ways after defeating Christopher Eubanks. The Italian will be cautious over the course of the tournament after just recovering from a hip injury but will also know that his weakest level is good enough to beat most of the players on tour. Despite clay not being his strongest surface, Sinner will be highly motivated to go deep in Paris as there is a chance he could be the new world number one at the end of the tournament.

The next obstacle for Sinner is home favourite Richard Gasquet who produced a vintage performance to defeat Borna Coric. The Frenchman may be reaching 37 years of age but he is still troubling opponents with his exquisite backhand, which will never be lost on the eye for many tennis fans. Gasquet is hoping for one last big result as he will aim to challenge a wounded Sinner and provide entertainment for the Philippe-Chatrier crowd.

Sinner will look to get the first strike in as he uses the forehand to force Gasquet into wide positions on the Frenchman's forehand as the Italian aims to approach the net to finish off points quickly. Meanwhile Gasquet will use shape on the backhand to force Sinner wide and test the Italian's movement. This will be a good physical test for Sinner but the Italian should prevail even if he does lose a set.

Prediction: Sinner in four sets.

Caroline Garcia [21] v Sofia Kenin H2H & Match Fundamentals

It was a very nervy and edgy first round performance from Caroline Garcia as she edged past Eva Lys. The 21^st seed never seems to make life easy for herself in Paris as she continues to struggle with the pressure and expectation placed on her shoulders. Now Garcia will hope a tough second round match will release some expectation and she can play with some freedom as she targets a place in the third round.

Next for Garcia is former finalist Sofia Kenin after the American edged past Laura Siegemund in her opening round match. Kenin will hope that she can recapture that form that saw her into the final in Paris four years ago as the world number 56 has only won five matches this season. Now Kenin will aim to be aggressive on serve as she will hope Roland Garros is a platform for her to find some confidence heading into the rest of the season.

Garcia will look to be aggressive on the forehand as she will test the movement of Kenin and will look to dictate play on the forehand. Meanwhile Kenin will aim to be smart on return, using depth and power to force tactical errors from Garcia. This is expected to be another nervy and tense affair but Garcia should have enough consistency to prevail here.

Prediction: Garcia in three sets.

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