Karolina Pliskova versus Lucie Safarova

It is never easy playing under the pressure of being the favorite to win.  It is also never easy playing a countrywoman, particularly when they are a friend.  Those are two challenges that Karolina Pliskova will have to overcome if she wants to defeat Lucie Safarova and advance to the third round.  No matter how one looks at it, Pliskova is the clear favorite.  She has enjoyed far more success the last couple of years and of late has accumulated significantly more match play under her belt.  She owns greater firepower off the ground and on serve and is already considered an outside favorite after her title run in Stuttgart earlier this spring.  If that were all not enough, she also leads this rivalry by a dominant 6-2 margin. 

None of this, however, will have Pliskova dismissing the chances of her fellow Czech.  She will be well aware that Safarova is a former Top 5 player, whose ranking has primarily only taken a dip due to a serious infection and injuries that kept her sidelined.  Clay is the favorite surface of Safarova, and she is a former finalist here.  She is a top doubles player, who can play the kind of attacking game to unsettle Pliskova, and despite being on the losing end of their rivalry, knows that virtually all their past encounters have been highly competitive affairs.  Thursday's match could be another nail-biter, and if Safarova is able to tap into the form that took her to the final here, she could put another victory on the board against Pliskova.  The odds still favor Pliskova avoiding such an upset, but she will be engaged in this contest right from the start.

Kevin Anderson versus Pablo Cuevas

Kevin Anderson is hardly the first name that comes to mind when it comes to clay-court tennis, nor is he consistently someone most look to as a threat to go deep at a major.  Yet he finds himself the sixth seed here in Paris with a pretty decent look at making at least the last eight.  To do so, however, he will have to get by Pablo Cuevas on Thursday, which is not a guarantee.  Cuevas may presently be ranked outside of the Top 70, but it was not all that long ago that he was tucked inside the Top 20.  He is also a man that no matter what his ranking, people take seriously on the clay.  All six of his singles titles have come on the dirt, and he is a former doubles champion at this event.  The clay gives him more time for his larger back-swings, which allows him to really tee off on his forehand and use his one-handed backhand to find the angles and open up the court.  But the Uruguayan may find it more difficult than usual to open the court on a regular basis in this contest.

At 6'8”, Kevin Anderson is still going to get his share of aces on this slow surface or set himself up for a quick one-two punch.  Additionally, with his height, any topspin from Cuevas is more apt to sit in his wheelhouse than be a hindrance.  He unabashedly now goes for his own shots as well, and between his finalist appearance at the US Open last year, his run to the final four in Madrid a few weeks ago, and the fact that he has won both of his prior meetings against Cuevas, the South African ought to be feeling optimistic about his chances on Thursday.  As noted, Cuevas is capable of defeating anyone on this surface, but Anderson should be expected to move through to the third round.

Caroline Garcia versus Shuai Peng

A popular dark horse pick that many of the home crowd will be pulling for this tournament is Caroline Garcia.  The young Frenchwoman thrilled audiences with her deep run here last year, and she built on that performance to quickly climb up the rankings and situate herself in the Top 10.  She has looked very solid on the clay coming into Paris, putting together impressive runs at Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome.  To say that Garcia is in a better place than her opponent Shuai Peng would be an understatement.  Peng has only been able to play sparingly throughout the course of this season, and on those occasions where she has competed at the top level, the results have been dismal. 

But the thing about Peng is that she is a wily veteran.  She has gone deep herself in singles at the majors and is a major doubles champion.  She has faced and defeated more decorated opposition than the seventh seed, so she is unlikely to be phased by the occasion.  When at her best, she can hold her own from the baseline against the firepower of the Frenchwoman and is someone not only capable of matching her prowess in the forecourt, but likely can obtain a better read and answer to what Garcia does when she makes her own forays to the net.  In addition to that, she does hold the 2-1 edge against Garcia, with their last clash being a very decisive straight-set victory for the Chinese woman just last year.  So, suffice it to say, while all signs point towards a near-certain victory for Garcia, there is a slight chance that an upset could be in the cards for Peng.

(Photo Sources: Matthew Stockman, Clive Brunskill, Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Europe)