The Pick RG R3 Goffin Hurkacz

Saturday’s Roland Garros schedule features many enticing match-ups, but we are keeping a close eye on the meeting between world No. 48 David Goffin and world No. 13 Hubert Hurkacz. Goffin, who was once ranked as high as seventh, has struggled with injuries in recent years, but he appears to have rediscovered his game this season. The Belgian will now look to make a big-time statement by defeating Hurkacz and securing his spot in the round of 16 at the French Open.

Goffin is 14-4 on clay this season, highlighted by winning a title in Marrakech back in April. The 31-year-old has earned wins over some really solid players during that stretch, and also held four match points in a thrilling three-set loss against Rafael Nadal on May 5. Jusrt pushing Nadal to those limits should give you an idea of how well Goffin is playing right now, and just how dangerous he can be on the dirt.

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Hurkacz is no schlub on clay himself, and he has done a lot this season to prove that. The 25-year-old came into 2022 without many matches on this surface, but has gone 8-3 on European clay. Hurkacz has also knocked off some clay-court specialists throughout the year, earning wins over players like Pedro Martinez, Albert Ramos Vinolas and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. With that, it’s no longer fair to question whether or not he has the game for this surface.

It must be noted that Goffin won in straight sets when these two played in Rome just a few weeks ago. Goffin emerged with a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2) victory, and the fact he was able to win tiebreakers against a big server like Hurkacz shows you a lot about this match-up. That is one area of the game where Hurkacz should really be able to blow Goffin out of the water, as the big man hasn’t faced a break point at Roland Garros thus far. But Goffin, a past quarterfinalist at the Paris major, has been able to hold his own on serve, and should have the advantage from the baseline.

Considering Hurkacz is a borderline Top 10 player, there’s no way to comfortably say that this match will definitely go in Goffin’s favor. But Goffin is in great form and is capable of playing Top 10-level tennis. This just might be his best surface right now, so we expect him to go out there and send Hurkacz packing. It doesn’t hurt that you’re getting him at plus-money.

The Pick: Goffin To Win (+110)