Tennis | Roland Garros 2024 | Qinwen Zheng looking to spoil Alize Cornet's tennis farewell party

05/27/2024 09:43 AM

By Tony Fairbairn

• Qinwen Zheng [7] v Alize Cornet [WC]
• Novak Djokovic [1] v Pierre-Hughes Herbert [WC]
• Victoria Azarenka [19] v Nadia Podoroska

PARIS, FRANCE – Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng is looking spoil Alize Cornet's farewell party as the first round matches conclude on day three at Roland Garros.

Qinwen Zheng [7] v Alize Cornet [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals

Since reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, Qinwen Zheng has felt the pressure and expectation on her shoulders as poor results have inevitably followed. However Zheng's talent, potential and variety remains present and that was on show in Rome as she reached the quarter-finals living up to her seeding and ranking. On a surface that Zheng feels comfortable on, the world number eight is now aiming to show consistent form and make another deep Grand Slam run.

Standing in Zheng's way is a highly motivated Alize Cornet who is playing her last ever tennis tournament at Roland Garros. Cornet's illustrious career has seen her win six singles titles on the WTA tour as well as reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final. However the end is near for Cornet as she looks to provide one more dramatic match on the big stage at her home Grand Slam. Will Cornet's career end on another memorable victory or will it end in bitter disappointment?

Zheng will use the angles to open up the court as she will aim to accelerate the pace of the rallies to power past Cornet's defensive skills. Meanwhile Cornet will need to be patient and pick her opportunities as she aims for a controlled yet aggressive performance. This match could go either way given Zheng's recent performances but one thing that is guaranteed is drama, entertainment and an incredible atmosphere in Cornet's last ever tournament of her career.

Prediction: Zheng in three sets.  

Novak Djokovic [1] v Pierre-Hughes Herbert [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals

It has been an underwhelming season riddled with coaching changes and injuries for Novak Djokovic. The world number one enters his Roland Garros title defence having yet to reach a final this season after another disappointing performance against Tomas Machac in Geneva last week. Now with his world number one ranking on the line, Djokovic is searching for some source of inspiration and confidence as he looks to save his season with a big result in Paris.

Standing in Djokovic's way in the first round is French wildcard Pierre-Hughes Herbert. The 33 year-old is approaching the end of his career but has had a much better season this year winning a couple of Challenger titles and finding confidence as he has risen up the rankings into the world's top 150. However a disappointing last few weeks means Herbert would have liked to have entered Roland Garros in better form and will look to show his true talent and potential in one of the biggest matches of his career.

Djokovic will need to be aggressive on serve as he aims to be smart on return forcing Herbert into erratic errors. Meanwhile Herbert will look to find early rhythm on serve using his doubles qualities to produce clean volleys at the net. This may be a testing contest for Djokovic but the Serb should prevail to get his Roland Garros campaign underway.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.

Victoria Azarenka [19] v Nadia Podoroska H2H & Match Fundamentals

It's been a consistent season so far for Victoria Azarenka as the world number 21 has been producing consistent wins to put herself in the latter stages of tournaments. Despite not playing many clay court tournaments so far, a run to the quarter-finals in Rome may have been the confidence booster that the former Australian Open champion needed as she looks for a deep run in Paris.

However a tough test awaits Azarenka in the form of former semi-finalist Nadia Podoroska. The Argentinian has struggled with injuries since her run to the last four back in 2020 but Podoroska has reclaimed her spot in the world's top 100 with some consistently good performances on the Challenger circuit. Now the Argentinian will look to translate those results on the main tour as she has been quite disappointing at the big events so far this season.

Azarenka will look to produce first strike tennis as she will need to be aggressive on serve in order to neutralize Podoroska's returning consistency. Meanwhile the Argentinian will look to extend the rallies as she will test Azarenka's fitness with a mixture of pace and variety. This will be a good clay court test for Azarenka but the former Grand Slam champion should have too much confidence and quality for the Argentinian.

Prediction: Azarenka in three sets.

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