A few interesting first-round picks from Paris today, and honestly the Paolini-Yastremska match alone is worth talking about. Let's get into it.
WTA French Open Predictions
Jasmine Paolini vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-head: Paolini 6-1 Yastremska
That head-to-head is brutal, and Paolini has been one of the best players in the world over the last year or so, so calling an upset here feels uncomfortable. But Yastremska has that big, flat game that can disrupt rhythm on clay when she's firing, and Paolini hasn't been at her best recently. Sometimes the numbers just don't tell the full story of where both players are right now.
Yastremska's one win in this rivalry, which came on a day she was serving particularly well, came in straight sets, which shows she can do it when everything clicks. I think this goes three, and on a given day in Paris, the upset is very much on.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3
Laura Siegemund vs Naomi Osaka
Head-to-head: Siegemund 2-2 Osaka
Perfectly split, which tells you these two are always close. Siegemund is a solid clay-court player who makes you work for everything and rarely gifts you points and that kind of opponent tends to drag Osaka into uncomfortable territory when her timing is slightly off. Osaka has the ranking and the weapons, but she's still finding consistency after her comeback and clay remains her trickiest surface.
Osaka should still find a way to get through here, but not without being pushed.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Anna Kalinskaya vs Lois Boisson
Head-to-head: First meeting
Boisson is a young French wildcard-type who'll have the crowd behind her, and that's genuinely worth something at home. That said, Kalinskaya is the better player by a clear margin and has been a top-30 fixture for good reason. Her flat, aggressive game can make slow clay play faster than it should, and Boisson hasn't had many moments against players of this level to show she can handle it. Hard to see this being competitive at all, though probably not without some nerves along the way.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire