After capturing the Hamburg title, Ignacio Buse will get right back in action at Roland Garros for a first-round showdown against Andrey Rublev on Monday. Rafael Jodar kicks off his fortnight against Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Ignacio Buse vs. (11) Andrey Rublev
Buse will have only one day off in between tournaments, as the 22-year-old clinched his first ATP title on Saturday in Hamburg and will now meet Rublev in the French Open first round on Monday. It was an incredible week for Buse, who had to qualify just to get into the Hamburg main draw and then knocked off Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik, Ugo Humbert, Aleksandar Kovacevic, and Tommy Paul en route to his improbable 500-point trophy. The Peruvian has suddenly reached a ranking of No. 31 in the world thanks to those efforts.
Rublev’s clay-court swing — and his entire year — has been all over the place. Mixed in with some early exits are a runner-up performance in Barcelona and a quarterfinal result in Rome. This is a very winnable match for Buse, but his chances were dramatically better before he played seven matches in Hamburg — including a three-hour and three-minute battle against Paul on Saturday. Rublev is playing well enough to keep it close, and the world No. 13 will have the edge if it becomes anything close to a marathon.
Pick: Rublev in 5
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. (27) Rafael Jodar
It’s Jannik Sinner and everyone else at the French Open. Near the very top of that “everyone else” group is Jodar, a 19-year-old Spaniard who has taken the tour by storm this season. The University of Virginia product is 20-9 on the main tour in 2026 with a title in Marrakech, a semifinal showing in Barcelona, and back-to-back quarterfinal efforts in Madrid and Rome. Jodar has lost in the first round of only two tournaments this year.
Up first for the world No. 29 on Monday is another college tennis alum in Kovacevic (Illinois). The 67th-ranked American has never been at his best on clay, but he made the most of a lucky-loser spot in Hamburg this past week by advancing to the semis before getting blown out by Buse. Still, positive results on dirt have been few and far between for Kovacevic. Anything other than a straight-set victory for Jodar would be a surprise.
Pick: Jodar in 3