DIMONATOR SAYS • GRAB YOUR POPCORN: ENTERTAINERS COME OUT FOR DAY 3 AT THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS 2017

Written by: Staff on 29th May 2017

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

DIMONATOR SAYS • GRAB YOUR POPCORN: ENTERTAINERS COME OUT FOR DAY 3 AT THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS 2017

epa05996089 A visitor photographs the French Open 2017 official placard during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2017. EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH |

By Ricky Dimon

Some of the most entertaining players in tennis are part of Tuesday’s schedule at the French Open. Among those in action are Gael Monfils, Dustin Brown, and Nick Kyrgios. Juan Martin Del Potro is also kicking off his campaign in Paris, as are 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka and 2016 runner-up Andy Murray.

Ricky previews two of the best Tuesday matchups and makes his predictions.

Dustin Brown vs. (15) Gael Monfils

Monfils and Brown will be squaring off for the first time in the careers when two of the game’s most entertaining players are sure to put on a show at Roland Garros on Tuesday. Even though Monfils is 28-10 lifetime at this event with one semifinal finish and three other quarterfinal showings, both men are question marks heading into this fortnight–as they often are thanks to their showmanship mentalities and often fragile physical statuses. Due to knee and Achilles’ problems, Monfils is an abbreviated 8-6 this year and 0-2 on clay. That is not what the Frenchman could have envisioned after making a debut appearance in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals last year.

Brown is 0-3 on European clay in 2017 and 1-4 on the surface overall, with a victory only at the expense of the now-retired Juan Monaco in Houston. The 20-year-old German qualified last season and won a main-draw match for the first time in his career at Roland Garros, defeating Dudi Sela in five sets before succumbing to Jack Sock. Brown will make this one both exciting and somewhat competitive, but in the end Monfils’ defense will force his opponent into too many extended baseline rallies on this surface.

Pick: Monfils in 4

Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (18) Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios can be put in the same boat as Monfils and Brown at the moment; now and just about all the time. Although the world No. 19’s talent is off the charts, he is heading into Roland Garros having played sparingly of late. Due to a hip issue and the recent death of his grandfather, Kyrgios has played only four clay-court matches. He advanced to the Madrid third round (fell to Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-1) and dropped his Lyon open second-rounder to Nicolas Kicker.

Kohlschreiber is a modest 14-11 for his 2017 campaign with a runner-up showing in Marrakech. But the German’s clay-court swing has taken a turn for the worse since then, with a 1-3 record following a straight-set defeat at the hands of Grigor Dimitrov in the Madrid first round. The good news for Kohlschreiber is that Kyrgios seems to be less than 100 percent and ready to rest up for a surface that offers him a far superior chance of doing real damage–grass.

Pick: Kohlschreiber in 5