French Open 2023 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Casper Ruud vs Elias Ymer

The third day of main draw action at the 2023 French Open on Tuesday will feature 20 first-round matches. Ten seeds, six qualifiers, three wildcards and a lucky loser will be in action.

On Monday, the likes of third seed Novak Djokovic, 14th seed Cameron Norrie, and Fabio Fognini emerged victorious, respectively beating Aleksandar Kovacevic, Benoit Paire and tenth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four singles matches could pan out on the third day of the French Open:

#1 Casper Ruud (2022 French Open runner-up) vs Elias Ymer

Fourth seed Casper Ruud opens his campaign for a maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open against Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer.

World No. 4 Ruud is 16-11 on the season - with 11 of those wins coming on clay - including a title run at Estoril. The Norwegian has a 13-5 record at Roland Garros, reaching the final last year. Meanwhile, the 155th-ranked Ymer is 3-5 in 2023 and 1-2 at the claycourt Major.

This is a first-time matchup, but expect the 2022 finalist to prevail.

Pick: Ruud in straight sets

#2 Richard Gasquet vs Arthur Rinderknech

Richard Gasquet takes on Arthur Rinderknech in an all-French first-round matchup at the French Open.

World No. 52 is 10-12 on the season and has a 29-19 record at the claycourt Major. Meanwhile, the 78th-ranked Rinderknech is 4-9 in 2023 but is winless in three previous appearances at Roland Garros.

This is another first-time matchup, but expect Gasquet to take the win.

Pick: Gasquet in four sets

#3 Tommy Paul vs Dominic Stricker

Sixteenth seed Tommy Paul locks horns with lucky loser Dominic Stricker in the French Open first round.

World No. 17 Paul is 17-10 in 2023 and has a 2-4 record at the claycourt Major. Meanwhile, the 116th-ranked Strickler is making his season and Roland Garros debut.

This is yet another first-time matchup, so the in-form Paul should prevail.

Pick: Paul in four sets

#4 Alexander Bublik vs Giuliu Zeppieri

Alexander Bublik opens his Roland Garros campaign against Italian qualifier Giuliu Zeppieri.

World No. 51 Bublik is an underwhelming 7-17 on the season and is 3-4 at Roland Garros, having made the second round last year. Meanwhile, the 129th-ranked Zeppieir has lost both his main draw matches this year and lost on his main draw debut at the claycourt Major last year.

This is another first-time matchup, but expect Bublik to come through.

Pick: Bublik in four sets

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Shyam Kamal