Before each day of play at the French Open, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. For full coverage of the season's second Slam, go to our tournament page.
This all-teen tilt is first up on Court 10; whether it will be broadcast or streamed remains to be seen. But it should be, because it’s a match of interest to anyone curious about the future of the men’s game. Coric, ranked 47th, and Fritz, ranked 67th, are two of the youngest players in the Top 100. If the experts are right, the Croat and the Californian will be facing each other in Grand Slam finals someday. As for how their first meeting will turn out, it’s hard to say. Coric is the more seasoned player, and would seem to have a natural edge on clay over the hard-court-raised American. Whatever the result, this should make for an interesting opening salvo.
Winner: Coric
Neither of these two tall men have been towering figures on tour of late. Berdych was double-bageled by David Goffin last week in Rome, a defeat so ignominious that it led him to fire his coach. But he’s still had a better year than Pospisil. The Canadian is 4-12 in 2016, and has lost in the first round at all three pre-Paris tune-up events he’s played. He's ranked 46th primarily because of his quarterfinal run at Wimbledon last year. The last time we saw Pospisil, he was teaming with Jack Sock to squander a seemingly insurmountable lead to Bob and Mike Bryan in the doubles final in Rome. Still, someone has to win this match, right? And if you’re looking for a possible upset of a Top 10 player, this would be the choice. As strange as it may sound, the 43rd-ranked Pospisil is 2-0 against the seventh-ranked Berdych in their career head to head.
Winner: Berdych
The 27-year-old Rybarikova has long been considered a more talented player than her ranking indicates. And it’s true, she’s too skilled to be mired at No. 77 in the world. In March, the Slovakian showed off some of those skills in Indian Wells, where she beat seventh-ranked Belinda Bencic on her way to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, she hurt herself in the quarters and has hardly played since. While Rybarikova and Serena have been on tour together for 11 years, they've played just once, in Canada in 2013, and it ended in predictable fashion, with a 6-1, 6-1 win for the American. But as we saw last year, Serena has the ability to make any match at Roland Garros interesting, before winning it in the end.
Winner: Williams