Before each day of play at Roland Garros, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches.
These two have played once, but it’s hardly a result that’s going to mean much on Wednesday. Eight years ago, in a Challenger in Bogota, a 19-year-old Bellucci beat a 17-year-old Nishikori in three sets. Since then, Nishikori has risen to No. 5 in the world, while Bellucci is currently at No. 40. But the Brazilian lefty hasn’t played like a No. 40 of late. In Rome, he hit big enough to take a set from Novak Djokovic; last week he won the event in Geneva; and in the first round at Roland Garros he scorched Marinko Matosevic in straights. Now Bellucci will get a chance to show off his finer form in Chatrier. Nishikori will need his backhand to be clicking against Bellucci’s lefty forehand. Winner: Nishikori
If you like your tennis fast and flat, this is the match for you. Each of these women takes the ball early and puts a satisfying wallop on their shots. Giorgi is the more precipitously erratic of the two; her level can swing wildly from set to set. Muguruza is ranked higher (No. 20 to Giorgi’s 37), and she nearly reached the semis at Roland Garros last year. So she’s the favorite, right? You would think so, but Giorgi has won both of their head-to-head meetings, each time in three sets. Winner: Muguruza
The 29-year-old Uruguayan and the 21-year-old Austrian have never played, but they make for an intriguing matchup, and a potentiallly fun one to watch in the close quarters of Court 3. Cuevas is a veteran clay expert who has won three tournaments on the surface in the last year. Thiem is an up-and-coming European whose game seems suited to all surfaces; trying to out-gun and out-grind Cuevas on dirt will be an appropriately significant test for him at this stage in his career. Most important for spectators, each of these guys lets the ball fly from both sides, and especially with their heavy-topspin forehands. An aficionado’s special. Winner: Cuevas
For more 2015 French Open coverage, go to our tournament page:
