French Open 2023 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Karen Khachanov vs Radu Albot

The fourth day of main draw action at the French Open on Wednesday (May 31) will feature 16 second-round matches. Twelve seeds, three qualifiers, and a wildcard will be in action on the day.

On Tuesday, the likes of fourth seed Casper Ruud, Alex Molcan, and qualifier Genaro Alberto Olivieri emerged victorious. They respectively beat qualifier Elias Ymer, wildcard Hugo Gaston and wildcard Giovanni Mpetchi Perricard.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four second-round matches at the French Open could pan out on Wednesday:

#1 Karen Khachanov (11th seed French Open) vs Radu Albot

Eleventh seed Karen Khachanov continues his French Open campaign against qualifier Radu Albot as a place in the third round beckons.

World No. 11 Khachanov recovered from two sets down against Frenchman Costant Lestienne in the first round. He improved to 18-6 at Roland Garros and 20-10 on the season.

Meanwhile, the 113th-ranked Albot beat Patrick Kypson in four sets for only his fourth win in 10 matches at the claycourt Major, improving to 6-7 in 2023.

This is a first-time matchup, but expect the in-form Khachanov to prevail.

Pick: Khachanov in four sets

#2 Hubert Hurkacz vs Tallon Griekspoor

Thirteenth seed Hubert Hurkacz takes on Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the French Open third round.

The 14th-ranked Hurkacz survived a five-setter in his Roland Garros opener against David Goffin to improve to 18-11 on the season and 5-5 at the claycourt Major. Meanwhile, World No. 39 Griekspoor also went the distance against Pedro Martinez, improving to 2-1 at the tournament and 16-9 in 2023.

This is another first-time meeting, but the higher-ranked Hurkacz should take the win.

Pick: Hurkacz in four sets

#3 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Luca Van Assche

Twenty-ninth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina locks horns with Frenchman Luca Van Assche for a place in the French Open third round.

World No. 34 Davidovich Fokina opened his campaign with a four-set win over Arthur Fils to improve to 18-13 on the season and 6-4 at the tournament. Meanwhile, the 82nd-ranked Van Assche, on his Roland Garros debut, saw off former semifinalist Marco Cecchinato in straight sets. It was only his third win in nine matches in 2023.

Davidovich Fokina won his lone meeting with Van Assche in the Estoril second round this year and should repeat again.

Pick: Davidovich Fokina in five sets

#4 Lorenzo Musetti vs Alexander Shevchenko

Seventeenth seed Lorenzo Musetti takes on Alexander Shevchenko for a place in the third round at the French Open.

The 18th-ranked Musetti opened his campaign with a straight-set win over Elias Ymer, improving to 14-12 on the season and 4-2 at the claycourt Major. Meanwhile, World No. 87 Shevchenko beat Oscar Otte in a fourth-set tiebreak on his Roland Garros debut to improve to 5-4 on the season.

This is yet another first-time matchup, but the in-form Musetti should prevail.

Pick: Mussetti 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 18 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 Aditya Singh