Photo by Fabrizio Corradetti / LiveMedia

Francisco Cerundolo vs Tommy Paul: Roland Garros – Third round

Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul are heading to the third-round match at Roland Garros without lost set.

Francisco Cerundolo Profile

Francisco Cerundolo is 27th in the ATP rankings, eight spots lower than his career high. The Argentinian is 15-16 for the season and 11-9 on clay.

Cerundolo started the tournament with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round and then beat qualifier Filip Misolic 6-2, 7-6, 6-0 in the second.

Cerundolo’s best result this season was the semifinal in Rio de Janeiro, where he lost to Sebastian Baez.

This is his fourth appearance at the French Open, and his best result was the round of 16 last year, where he lost to Holger Rune in the decisive tiebreak.

Tommy Paul Profile

Tommy Paul is 14th in the ATP rankings, two spots lower than his career high. The American is 21-8 for the season and 7-2 on clay.

Paul is coming off a 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 win over Fabio Fognini in the second round after beating Pedro Cachin 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening match.

Paul won the title in Dallas earlier this season, defeating Marcos Giron in the final, and lost the final in Delray Beach to Taylor Fritz.

This is Paul’s seventh appearance at the French Open and the first time he has reached the third round.

Head-to-Head Cerundolo leads 3-2

• Cerundolo vs Paul 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 (2024 ATP Madrid, third round)
• Paul vs Cerundolo 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 (2023 ATP Toronto, second round)
• Cerundolo vs Paul 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 (2023 ATP Eastbourne, final)
• Cerundolo vs Paul 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 (2023 ATP Queen’s Club, first round)
• Paul vs Cerundolo 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 (2022 ATP Eastbourne, first round)

Prediction and Conclusion

Tommy Paul is having a fantastic season, and there is no doubt he will make it to the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in his career. The American did not lose more than three games in a single set in the first two rounds, but now he is facing a player he has a losing record against. Cerundolo was one point away from the quarterfinals last year at the French Open and plays really well on clay. This will be the sixth match between these two players, and none of the previous five ended in straight sets. Given the fact that this is the first time they are playing in a best-of-five match, we are going with both players to win at least a set.