Round one at Roland Garros wraps up on Tuesday, when a clash of generations pits Marin Cilic against Moise Kouame. Another intriguing matchup features the power of Ethan Quinn against the clay-court consistency of Francisco Comesana.
Marin Cilic vs. (WC) Moise Kouame
It will be the biggest age gap in the French Open first round when Cilic and Kouame collide on Tuesday. Cilic (37) has been on tour since before Kouame (17) was born — and by a comfortable margin, too. The on-court margins could be small, because you can’t be entirely sure what either man will bring to the table. Cilic is still playing solid tennis at No. 46 in the world, but his bad days at the office are obviously a lot more frequent than when he was in his U.S. Open-winning prime. Kouame is understandably inconsistent at this point in his career, but he successfully qualified in Montpellier a few months ago and won a main-draw match in Miami.
There are not a whole lot of guys over whom Cilic would have a physical advantage in a best-of-five struggle, but Kouame could be one of them given his extreme youth and inexperience. The 318th-ranked Frenchman has never played in the main draw of a Grand Slam, so this an entirely new situation for him. For Cilic, of course, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The fans will do their best to keep Kouame competitive, but Cilic should have the edge.
Pick: Cilic in 4
Ethan Quinn vs. Francisco Comesana
Quinn and Comesana will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time on this clay-court swing. They previously faced each other in Monte-Carlo qualifying, where Comesana got the job done 7-5, 6-2.
This matchup figures to be more competitive at a Grand Slam. At just 22 years old, Quinn has already reached round three at two majors — the French Open 12 months ago and the Australian Open earlier this season. Comesana, meanwhile, is 6-7 lifetime at slams and 0-1 at Roland Garros. Still, the surface should ultimately make the difference — just as it did in Monte-Carlo.
Pick: Comesana in 5