Round two at Roland Garros gets underway on Wednesday, highlighted by a huge showdown between rising stars Joao Fonseca and Dino Prizmic. Former runner-up Aleander Zverev could be tested by Tomas Machac.
(28) Joao Fonseca vs. Dino Prizmic
Fonseca and Prizmic will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round two of the French Open on Wednesday. Adding a bit of extra importance to this intriguing matchup is that the winner will almost certainly go up against Novak Djokovic in the round of 32. It would be Fonseca’s first meeting with Djokovic and Prizmic’s third, as the 20-year-old just defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion earlier this month in Rome.
That is part of what has been an outstanding spring for Prizmic, who reached the Madrid third round as a qualifier and the Rome fourth round as a qualifier. The world No. 72 continued his fine form with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 rout of Michael Zhang on Sunday. Fonseca also won in straight sets to begin his fortnight, seeing off Luka Pavlovic 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2. The 19-year-old Brazilian has worked his way up to No. 30 in the rankings, but progression has been a bit slower than many expected. It is Prizmic who looks like a more polished product from a physical standpoint right now, plus he clearly enjoys the big stage based on his past performances against Djokovic and his results on clay this spring. Don’t be surprised if the Croat gets the job done.
Pick: Prizmic in 5
Tomas Machac vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
With Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament, Zverev is the second favorite to take the title and is favored to reach the final out of a wide-open bottom half of the draw. The third-ranked German came within a set of winning the French Open in 2024 (l. to Alcaraz), has not lost prior to the quarterfinals since 2020, and has not lost prior to round four since 2017. Is Zverev on course for more success in 2026? Why not? The 29-year-old is 13-4 on clay this spring and undefeated during this stretch against opponents not from Italy.
However, a formidable roadblock stands in Zverev’s way of round three. He will be facing Machac for the second time in his career after beating the Czech 6-3, 7-5 at the 2024 Paris Olympics — held at Roland Garros. As usual, Machac has been all over the place in 2026. Fortunately for the world No. 43, the good version of himself showed up on Sunday and never left before disposing of Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. There is always a chance that Machac loses in lightning-quick fashion, but this feels like yet another instance in which Zverev will be put through the five-set wringer.
Pick: Zverev in 5