- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The second Grand Slam of the year is upon us as the men start to qualify for the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris.
Seven Australians are in the draw with one guaranteed a spot in the second round after John Millman and John-Patrick Smith drew each other.
The top seed for the event is Korean, Hyeon Chung, who is ranked 69th in the world.
He needed a wildcard for qualifying after failing to enter in the hope of securing a main draw appearance. Unfortunately for him, he was outside of the top 100 at the time, and fell short of a spot.
128 players are in the field for 16 spots in the main draw.
Here is a look at the Aussies involved and a wrap of the draw.
JOHN-PATRICK SMITH vs JOHN MILLMAN
The positive is one of these two Queenslanders will make the second round. The negative, of course, is that two Aussies will have to battle each other.
Smith has had a good season so far, with a career high ranking, and a Challenger win in Canada.
Unfortunately for him though, he has hardly played on clay.
Just three matches in three years isn’t good form for a Grand Slam event on the surface. In comparison Millman has been playing on the dirt for the last month.
At the Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence he made his first quarter final on the surface at that level.
He also has a point to prove after missing the event two years ago with injury.
Millman had a wildcard here, after a superb start to 2013, but was forced to miss and hand the opportunity to Nick Kyrgios.
Now he has the chance for redemption and that may be the difference.
He will want it more, and his form on clay will get him over the line.
Whoever wins tonight though will face a tough task of qualifying for the main draw. They may have to face Alexander Zverev, who is a favourite to qualify.
The German looks to be a star of the future. The Aussie duo will struggle if they have to face him.
LUKE SAVILLE vs FARRUKH DUSTOV
This is Luke Saville’s first appearance at Roland Garros as a professional after making the quarter finals as a junior in 2012.
He faces an opponent that can be beaten but he will need to be at his best.
Saville hasn’t played much clay court tennis with just 19 matches in six years of professional tennis.
One of his title wins in the ITF though did come on clay last year.
He faces an opponent who has struggled in 2015.
Despite winning the Wroclaw Challenger in the middle of February, Dustov is 0-5 in his last 5 events.
On clay, he is 0-2, in his 2 events he has played on that surface.
Saville has a good chance of winning.
If he wins, and Mitchell does as well, it will be an Australian battle between them in the 2nd round.
That could be something to look out for.
ALEX BOLT vs BJORN FRATANGELO
These two players will know each other’s game relatively well after facing off in the quarter final of the Burnie Challenger in February.
Alex Bolt won on that occasion but clay brings the match back towards his American rival.
Bolt, who hails from South Australia, has only played four matches on clay this season after opting to play on hard courts during the first four months of the season.
In comparison Fratangelo made the quarter finals last week at the Heilbronn Challenger. Bolt though did win his first Challenger title on clay in An-Ning last year.
He faces a tough route to the main draw though.
If he wins tonight, and in the second round, he could face Hyeon Chung or Jared Donaldson. Those juniors look to be a bridge too far for the croweater.
Bolt can win matches this week but will fall short of making his first Grand Slam main draw. He can cause the upset tonight against the American.
BEN MITCHELL vs GUILHERME CLEZAR
The biggest question heading into this match is how fit Ben Mitchell is. The Queenslander has been out since March with a back injury and has not played a match on clay since the end of May last year.
He faces Brazilian, Guilherme Clezar, who is ranked 173 in the world.
In comparison Clezar has played mostly on clay in 2015 and made the final of the Santiago Challenger.
Mitchell is an outsider tonight for the win, and it looks to be a hard task for the Aussie.
He has no match fitness, has struggled on clay, and faces an opponent who loves the stuff.
The focus for him will be on fitness for the upcoming grass season.
A win would be an absolute bonus.
JASON KUBLER vs TIM PUETZ
5 years after making his debut in the main draw of the 2010 Australian Open, Jason Kubler is back, as the world number 152 debuts at the French Open.
It has been a long journey for the Queenslander to get to here, so it will be interesting to see how the occasion gets to him today.
Touted as one of Australia’s best for the future, the former number one in juniors, was struck down with leg injuries every time he took to a hard court.
Now the Australian can only play on clay courts and had a break out year in 2014 which included a maiden Challenger title in Romania.
Kubler looks to have a good draw, and faces Puetz tonight, before possible match-ups with Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Matthias Bachinger.
While these players are ranked higher than Kubler, he can beat them, and qualify for the French Open.
The key for him will be to limit his double faults and serve well.
Puetz, who is from Germany, has not played since February and has been out with injury. The match is a perfect one for Kubler and he can get close to qualifying this week. Watch with interest.
JORDAN THOMPSON vs MARCO CECCHINATO
Out of the Aussies in the draw, Thompson faces the toughest test in Cecchinato. The Italian, since hitting the European clay, has been in superb form.
He has won 14 of his last 18 matches at Challenger level and won the Turin event at the end of April.
Thompson, in comparison, has struggled with form in the last three events.
He did win the ITF event at Melbourne Park on clay but that form seems a distant memory.
If Thompson defeats Cecchinato, the draw opens up, but he would have to play extremely well for that to happen.
It is a tough match for the Sydney sider.
The draw itself:
The qualifying draw features one former quarter finalist, and two former fourth rounders at Roland Garros.
Victor Hanescu, who made the quarter final in 2005, faces fellow veteran Potito Starace in the opening round.
Alejandro Falla, Albert Montanes, and Filippo Volandri, who made the 4th round at Roland Garros are also in the draw.
France has the most entrants in the draw with 16. USA is next with nine with Italy having eight players.
Australia is tied with Argentina and Spain with seven.
The Roar will take a look at the women’s qualifying draw tomorrow and preview the men’s second round matches involving Australians.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.