3 must-watch matches for Thursday at the French Open

The second round of the French Open is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, as most of the big names remain in the tournament. There are some big names on the men’s side playing Thursday, as Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer will all take to the court on day five at Roland Garros.

On the women’s side, Ash Barty, Iga Swiatek, and Sofia Kenin will all be in action on Thursday. With all this top talent playing on day five at the French, there will for sure be some great matches to watch. Here are three must-watch matches for Thursday at the French Open.

Karolina Pliskova vs Sloane Stephens

This will be a great match between two players who have shown in the past that they can make a deep run at Roland Garros. In 2017, Karolina Pliskova made a run all the way to the semi-finals, while in 2018, Sloane Stephens would make it all the way to the final.

This will be the fifth meeting between the two, as Sloane Stephens currently leads the head-to-head 3-1. The last time the two faced off was in the WTA Finals in 2018, where Stephens defeated Pliskova in three sets.

Both players have come into the tournament with confidence, as both played well in their last tune up event before the French. In the first round, it was Sloane Stephens who was within two points of losing the match to Carla Suarez Navarro, but was able to fight back to win the match in three sets. Pliskova on the other hand played really well in a straightforward win against Donna Vekic.

This will be a close match, as both players have the ability to win the match and make a deep run in the tournament. If I had to pick one of these two, I would pick Pliskova, as she has had a better 2021 season so far and has had more success on the clay in the last couple months.

Marin Cilic vs Roger Federer

This is a second-round matchup between two Grand Slam champions, as this one is an absolute must watch on Thursday.

Cilic has had some success in 2021, making the semi-finals of a couple tournaments. Roger Federer on the other hand has only played four matches so far this year, winning only two of them.

Both Cilic and Federer looked really good in their first-round matches, with both of them winning their matches in straight sets. Although both of them lost the same number of games in their matches, Cilic was on the court for an extra 45 minutes than Federer. However, I do not believe fatigue will play a factor this early into a tournament.

This will be the 11th meeting between the two, as Cilic is 1-9 against Federer in their careers. His only win against Federer came in that 2014 US Open semi-final, where Cilic would go on to win his only Grand Slam title.

This will be only the second time that the two meet on clay, with the last time coming in 2011. I believe Federer will make it 10 wins over Cilic and win this one in three or four sets.

Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Carlos Alcaraz

This will be an exciting match, as this is a big test for the 18-year-old from Spain, taking on the 28th seed Basilashvili.

Alcaraz has already shown this year that he is capable of competing and beating some of the best players in the world. He has defeated David Goffin, Casper Ruud, and Adrian Mannarino so far in 2021, and has the chance to beat another top 35 player in the world on Thursday.

Both players advanced in four sets in the first round, as Basilashvili defeated Dusan Lajovic, while Alcaraz took down Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Alcaraz played for over three hours in his first match, which could play a factor because he did have to go through qualifying to make the main draw of the French Open.

This will be the first meeting between the two, as Alcaraz looks to advance to the third round of a Major for the first time in his career, while Basilashvili will be looking to make the third round at the French Open for just the second time in his career. I give Basilashvili the slight edge here, and believe he will win in five sets.