A blockbuster second-round matchup in Montpellier pits top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime against three-time major champ Stan Wawrinka on Thursday. Tallon Griekspoor and Pablo Carreno Busta are also taking the court.
(1) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (WC) Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka appears to be turning back the clock in 2026. The 40-year-old Swiss’ final appearance at the Australian Open was a fun one, as he advanced two rounds before losing to Taylor Fritz in a tight four-set match. Maintaining his fine form, Wawrinka kicked off his Open Occitanie campaign on Wednesday with a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over Hamad Medjedovic.
Up next for the world No. 113 on Thursday is a second-round showdown against Auger-Aliassime, which marks their first-ever head-to-head matchup. Auger-Aliassime is the No. 1 seed and defending champion in Montpellier, so he obviously goes off as the title favorite. A retirement in round one of the Australian Open is not especially concerning, as that was due to cramps rather than an injury. This is the eighth-ranked Canadian’s favorite time of year on indoor hard courts, so he should take care of business even though Wawrinka is still playing well in the twilight of his career.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2
(4) Tallon Griekspoor vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Griekspoor and Carreno Busta will be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Thursday. They split their two previous encounters; Carreno Busta survived a five-setter at the 2022 Australian Open before Griekspoor scored a 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3 victory last spring on the red clay of Marrakech.
It has been a disastrous start to the season for Griekspoor, who is 0-4 in matches and 0-9 in sets. Fortunately for the 29th-ranked Dutchman, he generally plays well this time of year on indoor hard courts and he should be especially motivated to build confidence in advance of next week’s ATP 500 at home in Rotterdam. Carreno Busta has not been playing well, either. The 34-year-old Spaniard’s lone wins in 2026 other than a retirement have come in third-set tiebreakers against Mattia Bellucci and Miomir Kecmanovic. Only because of the indoor hard-court surface, Griekspoor may have a slight edge.
Pick: Griekspoor in 3