In one of the most exciting match-ups of Day 1 at Roland Garros, Corentin Moutet takes on Nicolas Jarry. While Moutet is ranked only 79th in the world right now, the Frenchman has proven to be a good clay-court player. In fact, Moutet beat Jarry 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) when the two met in the quarterfinals in Chile nearly three months ago. That was Jarry’s home tournament, and it was played in favorable conditions for the 6'7" giant server. Santiago is about 520 meters above sea level, making for quicker conditions, but Jarry wasn’t able to take advantage of that or his raucous fanbase. Instead, Moutet embraced being a villain and channeled all the energy into a great performance.
Now it’s Moutet that will be playing in a more favorable situation. The fiery personality seems to always have a large cheering section wherever he goes, but he’ll have a full home crowd behind him on Court Simonne-Mathieu. This stadium offers one of the most exciting atmospheres in tennis. When you combine that with the slower court speeds, it’s hard not to like Moutet to cover a sizable game spread.
Moutet’s serve may be mediocre, but Jarry isn’t a good enough returner to take advantage of it. Moutet’s clay-court hold percentage over the last 52 weeks is down at 74.8%, but Jarry’s break percentage in that span is just 19.6%. The best way to beat Moutet is by standing up on the line and putting pressure on his serve. I’m not sure we’ll see much of that from Jarry. That means that the Chilean will need to be flawless when it’s his turn to serve, as the longer rallies should go the lefty’s way. And while Jarry’s serve is an absolute weapon, Moutet had a great read on it the last time they played. The slower courts and higher bounces in Paris should only make it easier on Moutet to block some more serves back in the court.
