Roland Garros Previews: Zverev vs. Goffin, Musetti vs. Monfils, Azarenka v. Andreeva

Alexander Zverev vs. David Goffin

“I’ve had my difficulties over the years against him,” Zverev says of Goffin.

And vice-versa. Zverev and Goffin have each had trouble with the other, which means their matches have invariably been close. Zverev leads the head-to-head 3-2, but four of those five contests have gone three sets. That includes their most recent meeting, last year on clay in Rome, which Zverev won 6-4 in the third.

The first question to ask may be: How close is Goffin to his old level right now? He’s 33, he has been injured, his ranking has dropped to No. 115, and he’s 3-7 on the season. But he looked every inch the same old ultra-smooth ball-striker in his five-set first-round win over the talented young Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Which brings me to my second question about this match: Is Goffin ready to recover from a five-setter like that? He’ll need to be even better against Zverev, who is presumably riding high after becoming the third person ever to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.

It’s certainly possible that Zverev will have a letdown after that. But I still like him in a grinding best-of-five against Goffin. Winner: Zverev

Lorenzo Musetti vs. Gael Monfils

La Monf gets his second straight night session in Chatrier. Which makes sense, not just because of who he is, but because of the potential entertainment value of this match. The Frenchman remains as acrobatic as anyone in tennis, and the Italian is a smooth, single-handed-backhand operator.

Musetti is ranked 30th, and Monfils 37th. They’ve played once, on indoor hard courts in Vienna back in 2021, and Monfils won in two close sets. Neither of them have had much of a clay season so far, but neither of them has been on a stage like this one yet, either.

Monfils and Musetti will offer different stylistic attractions. They’ll also offer, most likely, unpredictable swings in their levels from one set to the next. The chances that either of them will roll the other guy off the court without a hiccup or three seem slim. Which is all the better for anyone who wants an evening-long show of tennis at its flashiest. Winner: Musetti

Victoria Azarenka v. Mirra Andreeva

The longer that players hang around the game, the bigger the age divides will get in matches. On Wednesday, we saw 37-year-old Richard Gasquet take on 22-year-old Jannik Sinner. Now we get a 34-year-old Victoria Azarenka against 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

Azarenka is 17 years older, and ranked 17 spots higher at the moment (No. 21 to No. 38). She’s had the better season overall, but they have identical 7-3 records on clay. Their first meeting should be a contest of conflicting emotions. Both women let you know how they feel, but the more experienced Azarenka should be better able to channel herself in a positive direction when she faces adversity.

Stroke-wise, they play similar games. They’re tall and rangy, favor their two-handed backhands, and play a roughly equal amount of offense and defense. Both hit forcefully most of the time, but neither blows her opponents away with one swing.

I’ll say this match will be tight, and that Azarenka will handle those tight moments a little better. Winner: Azarenka

Honorable Mention: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Moyuka Uchijima

She’s ranked 83rd and may not hold up well against the No. 2 seed, but Uchijima comes in having won 19 straight matches at the ITF level and in Roland Garros qualifying. Winner: Sabalenka