Kei Nishikori v Stefano Travaglia
Travaglia has already been well backed but still looks worthy of support against Nishikori.
The Italian has enjoyed a fine claycourt season, as short as it’s been, winning six of eight matches so far.
He made the semis of a Challenger in the Czech Republic before beating both Taylor Fritz and Borna Coric at his home event in Rome where he eventually lost in two tie-breaks to top-10 star Matteo Berrettini.
He started his campaign in Paris with a convincing straight-sets win over Pablo Andujar and comes in with his game in good nick.
Nishikori, on the other hand, had scratch around for a five-set win over Briton Dan Evans, hardly a renowned performer on clay.
His play was inconsistent, no surprise given he’s only just back from a year out following injury.
At his best, Nishikori is an accomplished claycourter but even he will be a tad unsettled by the heavy conditions currently being seen in the French capital.
Travaglia is one of the Italian breed who are happy with the slowest of courts and he can continue on a roll in this one.
Casper Ruud v Tommy Paul
Ruud is many people’s pick as a dark horse for the title following a fine season so far on clay.
He came in here having made back-to-back semi-finals in both Rome and Hamburg, although that does have the issue of potential fatigue in Paris.
Ruud eased past Yuichi Sugita in round one but should get a tougher test here.
Paul is a former boys’ singles champion at the French Open and unlike many Americans, certainly knows how to play on the red dirt.
He was a dominant victor against James Duckworth in round one, that result following on from a decent outing in Hamburg where he beat Alexander Bublik – a result which looks much more impressive now than it did then following the Kazakh’s wins since – and also forced eventual champion Andrey Rublev to a final set.
Paul, who won the pair’s only previous meeting (on a hardcourt), looks capable of taking a set off Ruud here and can cover a 6.5-game handicap at 4/5.
Posted at 2035 BST on 29/09/20
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