French Open #SmashTalk: day one winners & losers

It may be a lighter schedule than other days, but the opening Sunday at Roland Garros gave us plenty to mull over. The #SmashTalk team of Vivienne Christie, Paul Moore and Leigh Rogers digest the day’s action.

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Biggest winner

Vivienne Christie: It’s hard to go past Petra Kvitova. It was only on Friday that she confirmed Roland Garros as her first event since she was injured in a knife attack six months previously; two days later, Petra hit winner after winner as she dispatched Julie Boserup 6-2 6-3 in 73 minutes. As many have already commented, she won more than just a match by simply being on court.

Paul Moore: It’s tempting to say Dominic Thiem, but was there really any doubt about that result? Because of that I’m going to go for Lucas Pouille. The 16th seed has had a bumpy year todate, and faced a Roland Garros banana skin in the shape of Julien Benneteau. That he came through in five (and has now matched his best ever run at the French Open) has to be cause for optimism.

Leigh Rogers: Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian snapped a four-match losing streak at Roland Garros and as a player who thrives on confidence, it was an important win. Flying under the radar as a contender, this could be the start of a deep run for the No.11 seed.

Biggest loser

VC: As loathe as I am to call a world No.1 a “loser” that’s entirely the point – Angelique Kerber underlined that she’s a No.1 in name only as she managed just four games against Ekaterina Makarova. Admittedly it was a tough draw against the Russian, who is a two-time major semifinalist, but we expected a bigger fight from Angie than a straight-sets exit in 82 minutes.

PM: Roberta Vinci. Ha! Only kidding. There can be only one, right? The only positive to come out of Angelique Kerber’s performance is that she doesn’t have to set foot on the clay for another 46 weeks.

LR: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. On paper losing the No.22 seed is not as shocking as the No.1, but on form I didn’t see this one coming at all. Lucic-Baroni has been a consistent performer this season to recently peak inside the world’s top 20 for the first time. Her conquerer, Cagla Buyukakcay, had only won two WTA-level matches since August and fallen outside the top 150.

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What’s the must watch on Day two?

VC: Alexander Zverev v Fernando Verdasco. The 20-year-old German went next level when he defeated Novak Djokovic to win a first Masters 1000 title in Rome. But how will Zverev respond against the wily Verdasco? The 33-year-old Spaniard has five final-16 runs in 13 French Open appearances – if he gets that giant lefty forehand going, it will be the ultimate battle of experience v youth.

PM: Nobody can beat Rafa Nadal, right? Wrong. If the mercurial genius that is Benoit Paire can be bothered to show up on Suzanne Lenglen then he can cause Nadal all sorts of problems. That said, I fully expect Rafa to wallop him in straight sets.

LR: Jennifer Brady v Kristina Mladenovic. There is a lot of talk about Mladenovic being a title contender – but just how she will handle these increased expectations remains a big unknown. The 23-year-old has a good record in Paris, although her biggest wins have been as an underdog. She should comfortably beat Brady, but can she handle the pressure as a red-hot favourite? I’m interested to see.

Which seed is going to struggle?

VC: Defending champion Garbine Muguruza (the No.4 seed) will have to work hard against the 2010 champion, Francesca Schiavone. While the 36-year-old Italian gained momentum with the Bogota title and a finals appearance in Rabat, Muguruza has been battling to strike consistent form.

PM: Karolina Pliskova. A bit like Kerber, Pliskova will be counting down the days to the end of the clay court swing. Today could well be that day for the world No.2, who faces a tricky opponent in Saisai Zheng on a court that doesn’t favour aggressive, big hitters.

LR: Garbine Muguruza. The draw wasn’t kind to the defending champion, with Francesca Schiavone her first opponent. The Italian veteran has been playing inspired tennis in recent weeks and with her variety has the potential to frustrate Muguruza, not allowing her to build any rhythm. Should Muguruza be feeling any nerves in her title defence, this is not going to help.