The French Open will get underway on Sunday with an order of play that’s headlined by a night-session showdown between Novak Djokovic and France’s personal Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Alexander Zverev, Joao Fonseca, Mirra Andreeva, and Marta Kostyuk are additionally amongst these taking the courtroom on Sunday.
Listed here are my picks for 2 of the most effective matchups on Day 1 in Paris.
Frenchmen Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Pierre-Hugues Herbert will headline the primary day of competitors at Roland Garros on Sunday. Mpetshi Perricard drew Novak Djokovic within the opening spherical, whereas Herbert faces unseeded Lorenzo Sonego.Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. (3) Novak DjokovicDjokovic and Mpetshi Perricard might be squaring off for the primary time of their careers. Having performed just one clay-court match up to now in 2026, Djokovic arrives in Paris as a little bit of a query mark. Nonetheless, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is all the time a completely totally different beast at majors. In reality, he has superior to the semifinals at 5 straight majors courting again to the beginning of the 2025 marketing campaign.
Mpetshi Perricard is missing confidence to an excellent better extent heading into the season’s second slam. The massive-serving Frenchman briefly peaked inside the highest 30 final 12 months however at the moment finds himself at eightieth within the rankings partly due to a 6-11 report on the ATP degree in 2026. Though GMP gained a title on clay on the 2024 Lyon ATP 250, this floor is by far his worst. Even a mediocre degree from Djokovic ought to be sufficient to safe his place in spherical two with little fuss.
Decide: Djokovic in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs. (Q) Pierre-Hugues HerbertHerbert has turned again the clock by making solely his third main-draw look at a significant because the begin of 2022 — but it surely’s his third in succession on the French Open. The 35-year-old performed his approach into the draw with qualifying victories over Kaichi Uchida and Leandro Riedi (he additionally received a walkover from Jan Choinski). Herbert is all the best way down at No. 223 on the planet, however he has at the least loved occasional success on the Challenger Tour in 2026.
Up first for Herbert is Sonego, whom the Frenchman has by no means confronted. Sonego has additionally gone within the improper route within the rankings over the previous few years, though he at the least nonetheless registers within the high 70 (at the moment No. 69). The 31-year-old Italian is a disappointing 3-5 for his 2026 marketing campaign and is mired in a five-match shedding streak, having picked up only one match win because the Aussie Open. Buoyed by what is going to certainly be a rowdy French crowd, P2H ought to have the ability to proceed his momentum from qualifying.
Decide: Herbert in 4
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You may comply with him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
