Frenchman Ugo Humbert will play in front of his home crowd in Paris against Lorenzo Sonego when the French Open begins on Sunday. Meanwhile, French legend Richard Gasquet faces Borna Coric.
Ugo Humbert vs. Lorenzo Sonego:
It’s a tough first-round match for France’s current best player. Humbert’s ranking has risen to No. 16 in the world, thanks to two titles earlier this season and a quarterfinal run at the Monte Carlo Masters a few weeks ago. Luckily, Sonego was the player Humbert defeated in the Round of 16 in Monte Carlo, so this matchup is completely new at this point.
Clay is the Frenchman’s least successful surface by a wide margin. Humbert is better suited to grass or fast hard courts. Although the 25-year-old has improved significantly over the past year, his performances on clay have been one of the exceptions.
Sonego is not having a good season. The Italian, who excels on clay, is a miserable 7-15 in his 2024 campaign and has won only three tour-level matches on clay in the six tournaments he has played (he also spent some time on the Challenger circuit this spring Was). The deck should be stacked in Sonego’s favor, but the current form tips the scales in Humbert’s favor.
Borna Coric vs. (WC) Richard Gasquet:
Gasquet, one of France’s legendary stars, is ending his career. Former world no. 7 is now ranked 124th in the world and has gained entry into Roland Garros with a qualifying wild card. He has won only two tour-level matches this year; It’s not hard to imagine that this could be his last French Open.
Croatian Borna Coric is also not able to break the track this year. The 27-year-old is ranked 73rd and is entering the French Open after a first round defeat at the Rome Masters. The pair have played twice before, but their last encounter was in 2018 on the hard courts of Dubai.
Even with a fairly favorable opponent in the first round, it is hard to imagine Gasquet making it past the second round. They have historically performed poorly in front of home crowds in France and haven’t exactly been at their best since winning their last title in early 2023.
