French Open: Day 4 Preview and Picks
By RICKY DIMON
LEONARDO MAYER (-150) VS. JULIEN BENNETEAU (+110)
Benneteau pulled off the first surprise of the French Open Sunday. He was thrashing a previously on-fire Ernests Gulbis before Gulbis called it quits with a hamstring injury. The Paris crowd has always loved Benneteau and they will love him even more after that performance.
Mayer is a solid clay-court player from Argentina, but I’m not sure he will be able to handle the pressure of having all the fans against him. Benneteau is a one-time French Open quarterfinalist and I think he just might do it again based on what we saw against Gulbis.
Pick: Benneteau in 4 sets.
THIEMO DE BAKKER (-135) VS. GUILLERMO GARCIA-LOPEZ (-105)
TDB vs. GGL could be one of the best matches of the second round, especially among players that only tennis die-hards have heard of. Garcia-Lopez has an edge in terms of experience and surface (he loves clay), but De Bakker has the advantage in terms of current form.
De Bakker has recent wins (both on clay, in fact) over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Carlos Ferrero. And if the 21-year-old Dutchman can get past Garcia-Lopez, he will probably get another shot at Tsonga in Round 3. TDB is a fearless player, and I think that will prove to be the difference against GGL.
Pick: De Bakker in 5 sets.
OLIVIER ROCHUS (-138) VS. JULIAN REISTER (-102)
The oddsmakers are clearly overreacting after Reister’s straight-set win over Feliciano Lopez in the first round. Despite being Spanish, Lopez is actually quite bad on clay and he now owns a dismal 5-10 lifetime record at the French Open.
As for Reister, that was not only his first win at a Grand Slam, but it was also his first-ever ATP win, period. Against a veteran like Rochus, there is no reason to think that Reister will pick up a second victory, especially not on such a big stage.
Pick: Rochus in 4 sets.
(6) SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (-200) VS. ANDREA PETKOVIC (+150)
Kuznetsova did not get a favorable draw and she is not getting any respect from the oddsmakers, either. And this is the defending French Open champion we are talking about. Kuznetsova rolled over Sorana Cirstea, a tough opponent, in Round 1 and now she is up against Petkovic, who has climbed to No. 41 in the rankings.
The German, though, has never made it past the second round at Roland Garros and if she does it this time, it would be an upset of shocking proportions - far more shocking than Kuznetsova’s -200 would suggest.
Pick: Kuznetsova in 2 sets.