Kei Nishikori versus Benoit Paire

The bottom half of the men's draw is the tougher half, and as a result, there is a higher potential for early upsets.  Among those riskier matches is the battle between Kei Nishikori and Benoit Paire.  As the seeded player, Nishikori is the obvious favorite.  Despite coping with niggling injuries that have seen his results occasionally suffer throughout 2018, he has played some stellar ball on the dirt.  He put together a very impressive run to the final of Monte Carlo and made the last eight in Rome.  Although these results are far more noteworthy than anything Paire has done this season, the nineteenth seed will not be underestimating the Frenchman.  Paire is only ranked just outside of the Top 50, and clay is his preferred surface. 

He comes in knowing that this rivalry is close, too, with Nishikori holding the slight edge at 3-2.  Nishikori does have the advantage of having won their only two meetings on clay, one of which was here in 2013, but they have split their encounters at the majors, with both of those meetings turning out to be competitive matches.  This latest slam encounter could come down to a couple of key features.  For Paire, if he has a good serving day, rips his favored backhand when given the opportunity and avoids falling too much in love with the drop-shot he is so fond of, he has a real look at the upset.  For Nishikori, it is all about finding the forehand wing of the Frenchman, being aggressive when he has the chance, and not being afraid to prolong the points.  Paire has the tools to even this rivalry, but if Nishikori is playing his A-game, he avoids the upset and moves through to the third round.

Dominic Thiem versus Stefanos Tsitsipas

For the second consecutive year, Dominic Thiem arrived in Paris as the only man to hand Rafael Nadal a defeat on the clay this spring and the man a number of people think is the player to most likely take the title behind Nadal.  But while it is all well and good for others to speculate about his chances, he will only be concerned with the opponent in front of him, and in this case, he will be especially on his guard.  Stefanos Tsitsipas may hardly be a household name, but Thiem knows he could easily prove an early stumbling block.  All three of their previous meetings came earlier this year, and though it is the Austrian who holds the 2-1 edge in this rivalry, it was Tsitsipas who won their most recent encounter, soundly defeating Thiem on his way to the final of Barcelona. 

The teenager just broke into the Top 40 in the rankings this week, owns an explosive brand of tennis, and playing with the fearlessness of youth, will be looking to continue his quick rise.  There is no question that Thiem will have to be at his best on Wednesday.  If he is, then he should get through.  His one-handed backhand boasts more variety and reliability than the teenager's, and he hits an overall heavier weight of shot.  Plus, the Austrian has gone deep here in Paris the last couple of years, and in the tight moments, that experience could prove pivotal.  Expect Thiem to ultimately advance, but it could certainly prove to be one of the more entertaining of the second-round matches.

Gael Monfils versus Martin Klizan

Gael Monfils is a draw all over the globe, but he is particularly popular in his native France where the home crowd will be hoping that he can conjure up some magic to go on yet another deep run in the French capital.  Despite his seemingly now continual battle with injuries and steady decline the last couple of seasons, given that he is ranked eighty spots above his next opponent, it would appear that he has a decent look of at least moving through to the third round.  But no one should be fooled by the fact that Martin Klizan is ranked outside of the Top 100 and had to qualify to get into this event. 

On the contrary, he is someone nobody likes to see on the other side of the net.  That is because the Slovak is a talented shot-maker, who was once ranked inside the Top 30 and can reproduce that level of tennis on any given day.  Additionally, he is apt to have earned some confidence after working his way through the qualifying to reach the quarterfinals in both Barcelona and Munich before coming to Paris, and he is even at 1-1 with Monfils in their previous matches.  He has the kind of power from both wings that can trouble the Frenchman.  It just depends on how he plays on the day. 

Of course, the same could be said of Monfils.  The flamboyant shot-making that makes him such a fan favorite is also what has arguably held him back in his career.  Too often he goes for the flashy instead of the higher percentage shot or relies too heavily on his great set of wheels instead of taking it to the opposition when given the chance.  So, while it is true that Monfils is the better player and should be favored to advance, but if he gets too cute or too passive – especially if Klizan is having one of his own better days – this could easily end up in disappointment for him and the home crowd.